text
stringlengths 0
174k
| label
stringlengths 1
399
|
|---|---|
In a Commons debate, the ex-Labour leader said Conservative plans to limit the voting powers of Scottish MPs on Commons laws would "rip up" hundreds of years of parliamentary procedure.
The SNP said the Conservatives wanted to create a "quasi-English Parliament".
But ministers said it was vital England was treated fairly as further powers were devolved to other parts of the UK.
At the end of the debate, Labour staged and won a vote in which the government abstained. And Conservative MP David Davis raised a point of order to urge the government to allow more time for the matter to be considered.
The government believes bills applying exclusively to England should not become law without the explicit consent of MPs from English constituencies and it wants to change Commons rules known as standing orders to give them a "decisive say" during their passage.
Ministers say this will address the longstanding anomaly by which Scottish MPs can vote on issues such as health and education affecting England but English MPs have no say on similar matters relating to Scotland, where such policies are devolved.
Mark D'Arcy, BBC Parliamentary correspondent
Panic stations? From the point of view of the government whips this afternoon's emergency Commons debate on English Votes for English Laws was really rather alarming.
The debate, so skilfully secured by Lib Dem ex Scottish secretary Alistair Carmichael, produced a slightly pointless vote in which the Conservatives mostly abstained, but it brought all kinds of nasty tensions to the surface.
Conservative MPs are supposed to be signed up for EVEL under the terms of their manifesto, but there were clearly quite a few with doubts, some about the policy, many more about the process, which was Mr Carmichael's line of attack.
Read the article in full
However, the plans came under sustained attack from Labour, SNP and Lib Dems in an urgent debate, secured by former Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael.
MPs are due to debate and vote on the government's plans next week but Mr Carmichael, the MP for Orkney and Shetland, said the plans required more detailed consideration, arguably through primary legislation.
If MPs representing constituencies in England had a "veto" on certain legislation, it would breach the longstanding principle that MPs, no matter who they represented, were "all equal".
"To go as far as the government wants to go in the timescale they want to go brings with it an attendant level of risk that I would consider to be irresponsible," he said.
"They are not entitled to use the UK Parliament as a proxy for an English Parliament."
Assurances that the new system would be reviewed by MPs after a year were inadequate, he added, saying this would not be capable of "putting a dangerous genie back in the bottle after it had been let out - we all know that is the political reality".
But Commons Leader Chris Grayling said it was "simply incorrect" to claim some MPs would be prevented from debating and voting on certain legislation and would continue to exercise the same rights as they do now.
Pressed by Mr Miliband on "what the meaning and definition" of English-only legislation would be, Mr Grayling said it would be up to the Speaker to decide but he believed a "simple test" would be what things were devolved to Scotland.
Requiring bills to have the support of a "double majority" of the whole of the Commons and those MPs representing England would also help mitigate "any resentment" felt by English voters about the slower pace of devolution to England.
"It is of vital importance that English citizens of the UK, as we move to an extra layer of devolution to Scotland and Wales and devolve additional tax powers to Northern Ireland, that they think it is fair," he said.
"It is what we pledged to do in our manifesto. We set it out in detail, step by step by step. We are implementing these changes and keeping our promises. I think the people who elected us would expect nothing else."
Mr Miliband said the Conservatives had the power to address the issue after winning the election but urged them to think again.
"Is this true to the traditions of Conservatism? No because the last thing you do is rip up hundreds of years of constitutional practice in a standing order vote just before the House goes into recess," he said.
"Doing this procedure in the way it is being proposed is an act of constitutional vandalism. It really is."
The SNP said Scottish voters would be affected by legislation on schools and NHS budgets in England through the Barnett Formula used to allocate public spending to different nations of the UK.
"This not just English votes for English laws, this is English votes for Scottish laws," said Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire. "It is totally and utterly unacceptable."
He added: "Why don't they just tattoo our foreheads 'Scottish' and then they would be able to identify us."
And Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh said the move would not make any difference to the outcome of votes and urged ministers to omit laws which indirectly applied to Scotland, saying not to do so would be a "gift" to the SNP's independence campaign.
Responding to a question by an SNP MP on Monday, Mr Grayling said the only English-only measure during the last Parliament had been the Education Bill, and there were 13 Bills which applied to England and Wales. | Plans for "English votes for English laws" are an "act of constitutional vandalism", Ed Miliband has warned. |
Mr Glanville won 69% of the votes cast and was already acting mayor.
Prior to Thursday's by-election he had been deputy mayor of the borough.
Green Party candidate Samir Jeraj came second in the election with 13%.
Labour currently control the borough of Hackney with a majority of 43 seats.
The by-election was called after former Hackney mayor Jules Pipe stood down after 14 years.
Mr Pipe will work with London mayor Sadiq Khan in City Hall as the city's deputy mayor for planning, regeneration and skills. | Labour's Phillip Glanville has comfortably won the race to be the new mayor of the London borough of Hackney. |
The animal has been studied for some time, but new research confirms it is different from all other gibbons.
It has been named the Skywalker hoolock gibbon - partly because the Chinese characters of its scientific name mean "Heaven's movement" but also because the scientists are fans of Star Wars.
The study is published in the American Journal of Primatology.
Dr Sam Turvey, from the Zoological Society of London, who was part of the team studying the apes, told BBC News: "In this area, so many species have declined or gone extinct because of habitat loss, hunting and general human overpopulation.
"So it's an absolute privilege to see something as special and as rare as a gibbon in a canopy in a Chinese rainforest, and especially when it turns out that the gibbons are actually a new species previously unrecognised by science."
Hoolock gibbons are found in Bangladesh, India, China and Myanmar. They spend most of their time living in the treetops, swinging through the forests with their forelimbs, rarely spending any time on the ground.
But the research team - led by Fan Peng-Fei from Sun Yat-sen University in China - started to suspect that the animals they were studying in China's Yunnan Province were unusual.
All hoolock gibbons have white eyebrows and some have white beards - but the Chinese primates' markings differed in appearance.
Their songs, which they use to bond with other gibbons and to mark out their territory, also had an unusual ring.
So the team carried out a full physical and genetic comparison with other gibbons, which confirmed that the primates were indeed a different species.
They have been given the scientific name of Hoolock tianxing - but their common name is now the Skywalker hoolock gibbon, thanks to the scientists' taste in films.
Dr Turvey said the team had been studying the animals in the Gaoligongshan nature reserve, but it was not easy.
"It's difficult to get into the reserve. You have to hike up to above 2,500m to find the gibbons. That's where the good quality forest usually starts - everywhere below there has been logged.
"Then you have to wake up really early in the morning and you listen out for the haunting song of the gibbons, which carries in the forest canopy.
"And when you hear it, you rush through the mud and the mist, and run for hundreds of metres to try and catch up with these gibbons."
The researchers estimate that there are about 200 of the Skywalker gibbons living in China - and also some living in neighbouring Myanmar, although the population size there is currently unknown.
The team warns that the primates are at risk of extinction.
"The low number of surviving animals and the threat they face from habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and hunting means we think they should be classified as an endangered species," said Dr Turvey.
In response to the news, actor Mark Hamill - the original Luke Skywalker - said on Twitter that he was so proud to have a new jungle Jedi named after his character.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter. | A gibbon living in the tropical forests of south west China is a new species of primate, scientists have concluded. |
Jamie Peacock, Kevin Sinfield and Kylie Leuluai ended their careers and left the club after beating Wigan Warriors at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The win followed success in the League Leaders' Shield and Challenge Cup to complete a domestic treble.
The trio were honoured at a celebratory event at the First Direct Arena.
Speaking after winning the Grand Final, former England captain Peacock said: "It's a bit difficult to sum up. I'm lost for words.
"I just feel fortunate to be in a great team. It's a team sport and that's why rugby league is such a great sport."
Leeds City Council leader Judith Blake said: "It has been another amazing season for the Leeds Rhinos and [the event] is an opportunity for supporters to congratulate the team on their efforts and also say a big thank you to legends Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock and Kylie Leuluai."
"We are extremely proud as a city of the Rhinos, whose commitment, dedication and achievements on the field - coupled with the work they do in our communities - is simply fantastic.
"They are undoubtedly fully deserving of an event such as this."
Leeds Rhinos chief executive, Gary Hetherington, said it would be a "spectacular live show" with performances from The Pigeon Detectives showing appreciation for the three retiring stars. | The careers of three of Leeds Rhinos' notable players have been celebrated in the city following the club's Super League Grand Final success. |
It took seven people to help lift the male Staffordshire bull terrier out of the waterway near Litherland Road in Bootle, Liverpool on Saturday.
A blue rope was tied around its neck and tests indicated it had been strangled, the RSPCA said.
An examination at Greater Manchester Animal Hospital found the dog had been fed and walked before it died.
He was in a good condition with short nails and had eaten recently, the animal welfare charity confirmed.
RSPCA Inspector Helen Smith said it was not clear if the dog was alive when it was thrown in the canal.
She said: "If he was dead when he was thrown in, it would have taken at least two people to get him in there as the dog was heavy, as was the rucksack.
"He could have also been walked down there alive, thrown into the canal and choked by the weight around his neck."
Anyone with information is urged to contact the RSPCA. | The body of a dog has been pulled out of a canal with a rucksack full of cement tied to its neck. |
The New South Wales premier's page was flooded with comments, almost all negative, after he mounted a defence of controversial "lockout laws" that many say have killed off Sydney's night-time economy.
Mr Baird says the laws are reducing assaults, and that a number of small bars have opened since the laws were introduced.
But questions have also been raised about why the city's Star Casino and another planned casino are exempt - the Star falls just outside the zone - leading to the premier being mocked with the hashtag #casinomike.
Since February 2014, bars and clubs within parts of Sydney have been required to shut their doors to new patrons from 1.30 in the morning and stop serving drinks at 3:00, with severe penalties for bar owners who breach the conditions.
Sales of takeaway alcohol from hotels and shops are banned statewide after 22:00.
The origin of these laws can be traced to July 2012, when 19-year-old Kieran Loveridge walked up to Thomas Kelly in the entertainment precinct of Kings Cross and, without provocation or warning, punched him in the head.
Mr Kelly, 19, fell to the ground and later died in hospital.
Kings Cross saw its second "coward punch" death on New Year's Eve in 2013, when bodybuilder Shaun McNeil, 27, killed 18-year-old Daniel Christie with a single blow in an unprovoked attack.
Both attackers were jailed.
Public outcry over these incidents was immense, and the NSW government responded by designating Sydney's most popular party zones a "CBD Entertainment Precinct".
But it had a devastating impact on businesses that depended on late-night trade, particularly around the Kings Cross area.
Some of Australia's best-known bars and clubs shut down, among them Hugos Lounge, which had operated for 15 years and was voted best nightclub in Australia six times.
Owner Dave Evans said the laws caused a 60% drop in trade, forcing him to close his doors and put 170 staff out of work.
Frustration over the laws' impact on Sydney's nightlife crystalysed last week with the publication on LinkedIn of an 8,000-word essay by businessman Matt Barrie.
Mr Barrie passionately denounced the impact of the laws and pushed a philosophy of personal responsibility that touched a nerve with many Sydneysiders.
"You've been tricked into thinking that you have done something wrong, in some way that you are genetically an idiot, or that somehow you have to feel responsible for a couple of random tragic, yet unrelated, events that occurred in the vague proximity of having fun," he wrote.
"Two young men that would be turning in their graves if they knew that their deaths had been hijacked to beat up some moral outrage over the sort of human tragedy that sells newspapers to put up a political smokescreen, push a prohibitionist evangelical agenda, sell a suburb to developers, and boost the coffers of a couple of casinos."
Reaction to Mr Barrie's piece prompted Mr Baird, a conservative and Christian, to respond on social media, where he had previous success live-tweeting amusing responses to the finale of reality television show The Bachelor.
"Alcohol-related assaults have decreased 42.2% in the CBD since we introduced the 'lockout laws'. And they are down by over 60% in Kings Cross," he wrote.
"But didn't we achieve this by shutting down the whole city and killing its nightlife? The number of small bars in Sydney has more than doubled in the same period."
"Doctors right across the city are now telling us they are seeing far less emergency room presentations on the weekends."
But this time the move appears to have backfired, with the post attracting more than 12,000 comments, overwhelmingly negative.
"I am not proud of our city and embarrassed to invite guests here from overseas," said one.
Another said the state was "treating us all like kids because of the actions of random street scum".
"Sydney has a rich history of the inner city pub which you are destroying," said another. "Thanks mate #casinomike."
Popular Australian DJ and musician Alison Wonderland was one of the many who responded to Mr Baird.
"Words can't explain how embarrassed I am that my home, the most beautiful and once most vibrant city in the world has become a laughing stock internationally," she wrote.
"People are asking me if it's true Sydney has become a nanny state and voice their genuine concerns about visiting it."
Another commenter was Justin Maloney, owner of the restaurant Jimmy Liks, which closed last month after 14 years.
"You said you wanted to 'eliminate drinking ghettos' - well, Mr Baird, my award-winning restaurant was no ghetto but you certainly eliminated it," he wrote.
Even Mr Baird's "cherry picked" assault statistics were called into question.
The lockout laws are almost two years old now and due to be subjected to a detailed review.
But Mr Baird indicated he was unlikely to change the policy, which he believed was "so clearly improving the city".
But it remains to be seen if the popular premier will hold his ground if anger at the lockout laws continues to gather momentum. | It took a single Facebook post to turn Mike Baird, leader of Australia's most populous state, from darling to pariah on social media. |
England lost both home one-day series in the summer, against Sri Lanka and India, and have won only seven of their 18 one-day internationals this year.
They are now touring Sri Lanka in the build-up to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, starting in February.
Finn, 25, told BBC Sport: "If we stick together, I think we're capable of upsetting people at the World Cup."
England beat Sri Lanka A by 56 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method in their opening match of the winter on Friday.
They face the same opposition on Sunday prior to a seven-match one-day international series against the full Sri Lanka side.
England are not among the favourites for the World Cup, but Middlesex right-armer Finn believes their status could benefit them.
"It suits us to go over there as underdogs and if we can slip under the radar having had a good month of preparation under our belt here in Sri Lanka," he said.
"In the last few games of the season we put in some good performances against India, who are arguably the best one-day team in the world.
"If we can get some belief and team ethics in place to go forward into the World Cup that should stand us in good stead." | Paceman Steven Finn believes England can benefit from entering next year's World Cup as underdogs. |
Media playback is not supported on this device
Walkden became the first Briton to successfully defend a taekwondo world title with victory in the +73kg category at the 2017 tournament.
She says she speaks "all the time" about MMA with double Olympic taekwondo champion and compatriot Jade Jones.
"You never know what the future holds," the 25-year-old said. "You'd have to train completely different."
Speaking to Radio 5 live's Sportsweek, she added: "If we got offered a spectacular fight, it was a one-off, a big event - then I would definitely do it."
Jones said last year that she could be tempted by a big-money move to MMA after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. | Taekwondo world champion Bianca Walkden says she would take part in a "one-off" MMA - mixed martial arts - fight. |
Media playback is not supported on this device
There was never more than a frame between the two before Higgins produced a break of 85 to move into a 5-4 lead.
Liang missed a green along the cushion to allow Higgins, who had made three centuries of 119, 104 and 133, to win.
UK Championship winner Neil Robertson had an easier victory as he thrashed an out-of-sorts Marco Fu 6-0.
Fu was ill with a virus on Tuesday and nearly pulled out of the match.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Robertson will now play world number five Judd Trump in the quarter-final on Friday, which starts at 13:00 GMT.
Higgins faces world champion Stuart Bingham from 19:00 GMT on the same day.
"A lot of players will think it was an easy shot on the green, but I knew it was difficult," said Higgins after his win over Liang.
"It was great to come through. We all know he is a great player. He played great today, stuck in there and potted some unbelievable balls."
He added: "If I play like that I have got a chance against anybody." | John Higgins came through a high-quality encounter against tournament debutant Liang Wenbo to win his first-round match 6-4 at the Masters. |
Kensington and Chelsea council said it had given the owner a section 215 notice ordering the stripes' removal after neighbours complained.
The stripes appeared earlier this month after plans to demolish the house and replace it with a new house and two-storey basement were refused.
Neighbours said it looked "hideous".
The house, in a quiet cul-de-sac, must be repainted by 3 July.
The owner has until 5 June to appeal the decision.
A council spokesman said: "The property is situated within the Kensington Square Conservation Area and its condition and appearance has attracted numerous complaints to the council's planning enforcement team." | A woman in Kensington has been told to remove the red and white stripes she had painted on her house in protest over a rejected planning application. |
Mr Smith told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg Labour would be "decimated" if there was an election tomorrow.
He insisted there was "everything still to play for" in the contest and would not rule out standing again if Mr Corbyn won.
Mr Corbyn's campaign said Mr Smith was "desperate" and "resorting to insults".
The current leader points to a surge in party membership under his stewardship as evidence that he is building a "mass movement" capable of winning a general election, with his allies saying the Tories are "in retreat".
But Mr Smith said: "I think that's delusional, and I think Jeremy needs to think a bit more about that straight, honest politics that he started his campaign with."
He said: "The straight, honest truth is that we are right now at our lowest ebb in the polls, ever.
"If there was an election tomorrow Labour would be decimated, and that's got to be a shock to Labour's system."
He said Mr Corbyn was "misleading himself if he thinks we are heading towards an election victory".
If Labour continued on its current "disastrous trajectory", Mr Smith said, it would be left with as little as 140 MPs. It currently has 230, with the Conservatives on 329.
"If Jeremy is deluding himself that we are heading to victory I do not think the rest of the party or the country can afford to be deluded about where we are," he said, claiming Labour was "in the doldrums" and that it faced "Groundhog Day" if Mr Corbyn won.
Labour will announce its new leader at a special conference on 24 September.
Mr Corbyn, who won an overwhelming victory in last summer's leadership contest, is the bookies' favourite.
But Mr Smith said he would "fight this right up until the last minute", saying many people had yet to vote.
Asked whether he would stand for the leadership again if Mr Corbyn wins, he said: "I am not ruling anything in or anything out," adding that this was "a hypothetical question for the dim and distant future".
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn's campaign said: "You can tell things are going from bad to worse for Owen Smith's desperate campaign as he turns his vitriol on Labour members instead of the Tory government.
"The inconvenient truth for Owen Smith is that Labour polled ahead of the Tories in May's local elections; and we have won all parliamentary by-elections under Jeremy's leadership, as well as having won mayoral elections in Bristol, London, Liverpool and Salford.
"Rather than repeatedly talking down our party, and refusing to accept the outcome of this contest, Owen Smith should reflect on his use of such a divisive approach for the rest of this contest." | Labour leadership hopeful Owen Smith has accused Jeremy Corbyn of being "delusional" about the party's prospects of power under his tenure. |
Tomasz Procko, 22, and Karol Szymanski, 29, had been delivering sofas to the Knightsbridge property on Friday morning when the balcony collapsed.
Mr Procko, of Greenford, west London, died at the scene while Mr Szymanski, of Wembley, north-west London, died later in hospital.
Both men were originally from Poland. Their next of kin had been informed.
Eight other people were treated for injuries, the London Ambulance Service said.
A neighbour, who wanted to remain anonymous, told BBC News: "They were trying to pull a couch up to the first-floor apartment with ropes.
"[It] was apparently too heavy. The fence broke off and fell on the workmen below."
Sinclair Johnston, an engineer who has worked on another property in the square, said the decorative railings could not be depended upon to support weight.
The decorative wrought-iron railing appeared to have fallen about 3.6m (12ft) to the ground, although the stone base of the balcony appeared undamaged. | Two men who died after they fell from a balcony at Cadogan Square in west London have been named by police. |
The US central bank said it had unanimously agreed to keep rates at close to zero this month, but believed the economy was on a stronger footing.
"Economic activity has been expanding moderately in recent months," it said in a statement.
But it still did not give a clear indication of when rates would rise.
In its statement, the Fed noted that the job market, housing and consumer spending had all improved.
The central bank's policy makers also said they expected inflation to rise gradually toward its 2% target.
On employment - which is now at a seven-year low of 5.3% - the bank said job gains had been "solid", more positive language than last month.
But it again reiterated that it would only hike its benchmark interest rate "when it has seen some further improvement in the labor market and is reasonably confident that inflation will move back to its 2 percent objective".
The Fed's decision to keep its main interest rate on hold this month had been widely expected.
"The bottom line is they didn't do a lot.
"But they've nudged the market in the direction of a 2015 rate hike. And it's increased our confidence in a September rate hike," Millan Mulraine, deputy head of US strategy at TD Securities told the BBC.
Barclays economist Michael Gapen said that he also still expected a rate rise in September, which he said remained the bank's "baseline forecast"
And Brian Jacobsen, chief portfolio strategist at Wells Fargo Funds, said the statement confirmed the Fed was "taking baby steps" towards an increase.
The interest rate has now been at a record low for six and a half years.
The US central bank's decision to cut the rate to such a low level in December 2008 was aimed at boosting growth in the economy amid the global financial crisis.
Most analysts expect the first hike in September, but Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen has emphasised that any increase will be determined by the latest economic data.
She has also said that when rates do begin to rise, the increase will only be gradual.
US stock markets, which were up ahead of the Fed's decision, continued to trade higher after the decision. | The US Federal Reserve has indicated it is more positive on the US economy, confirming views it is likely to raise interest rates this year. |
A selection of your pictures of Scotland sent in between 30 June and 7 July. Send your photos to [email protected] or via Instagram at #bbcscotlandpics | All pictures are copyrighted. |
The 22-year-old barber, from Newtownabbey, County Antrim, has not been seen for almost a week.
He was last seen in the Carnmoney Road area of Newtownabbey shortly before 13:00 BST on Thursday, 13 July.
Officers have also revised details of what they believe he was wearing on the day of his disappearance.
Det Insp Chris Millar said: "It has now been established that Dean was wearing a short-sleeve maroon shirt, denim knee-length shorts and dark-coloured canvas shoes.
"He was wearing a gold watch on his right wrist."
Mr McIlwaine is 5'8" in height and of medium build.
He has dark hair, a beard and sleeve tattoos on both arms.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact police by calling 101, quoting reference number 121 of 14/7/17. | Police searching for Dean McIlwaine have released CCTV footage taken on the day he went missing as they renewed their appeal for information. |
Regardless of the horse race that sprung from Lord Derby calling it right and winning that toss at Epsom in 1779, defeat would have had a much wider significance.
The event and its name are believed to be the root of the expression 'derby match', and it's worth considering that the loser was Sir Charles Bunbury.
You'll agree the 'Merseyside Bunbury' or the 'North London Bunbury' hardly have the same ring.
More than two centuries on from that coin toss to decide whose name the race should take, trainer John Gosden - who is due to have five runners in the 238th Derby, including big fancy Cracksman - marvels at what was created.
"It's a unique track," he says, staring out over the course as it snakes its way up, down and around the Surrey Downs barely 15 miles south west of central London.
"Obviously Bunbury and Derby had had a very good lunch when they came up here and pegged it out and flipped a coin.
"It's a very demanding track. You have to stay, you have to have great dexterity, agility, balance and a turn of foot comes in very handy.
"It is a proper test of a horse - you wouldn't necessarily design it as a track for anything other than a rigorous test of a three-year-old in the first week of June, and that's what it is."
Gosden, whose ever-powerful string based at Newmarket is the biggest threat to the prevailing dominance of Ireland's Aidan O'Brien, should know.
It's 20 years since he saddled Benny The Dip to win, and two since he masterminded Golden Horn's big-race success with Frankie Dettori riding in the silks of owner-breeder Anthony Oppenheimer.
Golden Horn, who by that point had won the regularly significant Dante Stakes at York, went on to stamp his authority on proceedings that season.
After Epsom, he galloped off with the Eclipse Stakes, the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe before suffering one of just two defeats, at the Breeders' Cup fixture in Kentucky.
Cracksman represents the same owner-trainer-jockey combination, and comes to Epsom with two wins from two starts, the second at Epsom when narrowly beating fellow Derby hopeful - and this year's Dante winner - Permian.
"Cracksman is not a Golden Horn," Gosden told BBC Sport, "but he's a superior horse to Benny The Dip.
"He's still learning a lot, and when he came here and won the trial he grew up overnight, so we're excited."
Believing there is no standout in this year's Derby, worth a total of nearly £1.625m - a record, Gosden fields three more runners than ever before.
Cracksman, who like fellow leading contender Eminent is a son of champion racehorse-turned-fledgling stallion Frankel, is joined by striking Goodwood winner Khalidi - added as a late entry, for £85,000 - plus three longer shots in Crowned Eagle, Glencadam Glory and Pealer.
A multitude of runners under a single, or near-single, banner is something of a feature of the 2017 staging of the world's best-known flat racing prize.
O'Brien - looking for a sixth win after Galileo, High Chaparral, Camelot, Ruler Of The World and Australia - saddles another formidable Coolmore-owned challenge.
Cliffs Of Moher, winner of the Dee Stakes at Chester, with Ryan Moore riding, leads six, ahead of well-supported Capri and Venice Beach. Douglas Macarthur, The Anvil - on which the trainer's apprentice jockey daughter Ana becomes the third female jockey to take part - and Wings Of Eagle make up the raiding party.
O'Brien's son Joseph, the jockey on board when Camelot and Australia were victorious but now training, saddles Rekindling.
Via his Godolphin operation and his son Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, owner Sheikh Mohammed is represented by Permian, Lingfield Trial winner Best Solution, once-raced Dubai Thunder and Benbatl, the Dante Stakes runner-up.
Strongly supported Eminent, sixth in the 2000 Guineas, trained by Martyn Meade and the mount of flat racing's champion jockey Jim Crowley, heads 'the rest'.
It does look genuinely wide open.
"We don't have any exceptional favourite standing out and frightening everyone away," said Gosden, whose father 'Towser' trained 1966 winner Charlottown as a two-year-old before ill health forced his own retirement.
"That's why we're winding up with a pretty big field. But I still think that the first three will be very, very good horses.
"The biggest problem is probably going to be for the jockeys getting around in a big field. You try riding around Epsom with so many other runners. It's not an easy job at all."
Food for thought for apprentice jockey Paddy Pilley, who replaces Gina Mangan - barred from taking part on safety grounds - on 1,000-1 outsider Diore Lia.
However, the presence of Diore Lia, the large field and the chance for Frankel to father a first European Classic winner gives the whole thing an intriguing narrative.
It'll take a lot more than a spin of a coin to sort out this one. | It was, it can be argued, the most significant toss of a coin in British sporting history. |
Swansea's Indoor Market and bus station were also closed but officers reopened affected areas just before 17:00 BST.
South Wales Police had received reports of a suspect package at about 14:00.
They said the incident had caused "significant disruption".
Bus operator First Cymru said services were returning to normal but delays may continue.
A police spokesman said: "While we ask people to be vigilant, we will take robust action against anyone who causes significant disruption through hoax activity." | A man has been arrested following the evacuation of Swansea's Quadrant shopping centre after reports of a suspicious package "turned out to be a hoax". |
Daw hyn ar ôl iddi ddod i'r amlwg fod y datblygwyr yn chwilio am fuddsoddwyr newydd.
Y llynedd roedd cwmni Orthios yn sôn am greu cannoedd o swyddi yng Nghaergybi, a hefyd yn y de ym Mhort Talbot.
Ond mae yna ansicrwydd oherwydd bod cytundeb gyda buddsoddwyr o China wedi mynd i'r gwellt, gan adael bwlch o £2bn.
Y gobaith yw y bydd y pwerdy yng Nghaergybi, ar hen safle Alwminiwm Môn, yn creu hyd at 500 o swyddi.
Cafodd y safle ei brynu gan y cwmni yn 2015.
Dywedodd Dylan Williams, Pennaeth Rheoleiddio a Datblygu Economaidd Cyngor Môn, fod y cwmni yn awyddus i barhau gyda'r buddsoddiad a'r gwaith o gynhyrchu ynni.
"Yn amlwg mae'r sefyllfa ariannol wedi newid. Doedd yna ddim cytundeb ffurfiol i ariannu ond ein dealltwriaeth ni yw bod nhw'n edrych am ffynonellau gwahanol," meddai. | Mae Cyngor Môn yn dweud eu bod yn parhau'n ffyddiog y bydd cynllun i godi pwerdy biomas yno'n cael ei wireddu. |
It marks the sixth time in four years that the web portal has announced sizeable job cuts.
The news coincides with plans by Skype to create about 400 new posts across five cities.
The internet video-calling business - which is owned by Microsoft - said it was initially looking to take on staff in London and Stockholm.
Other posts will later be created in Tallinn, Estonia; Prague, Czech Republic; and Palo Alto in California, US.
Yahoo said its cuts aimed to deliver a"smaller, nimbler, more profitable"company that was cheaper to run. It added that the action was designed to save about $375m (£236m) a year.
The move follows a period of turmoil at the firm.
Carol Bartz was dismissed as chief executive in September after failing to turn around the company's fortunes. Chairman Roy Bostock and co-founder Jerry Yang also later resigned from its board.
In January, former Paypal executive Scott Thompson was named the organisation's fourth chief executive in five years.
A recent study by the analytics company Comscore suggested that Yahoo's share of online search queries in the USfell below 14% for the first time in February, putting it further behind Google and Microsoft.
A statement issued by Mr Thompson's said: "We are intensifying our efforts on our core businesses and redeploying resources to our most urgent priorities. Our goal is to get back to our core purpose -putting our users and advertisers first - and we are moving aggressively to achieve that goal."
It added that the firm would now focus on a "deep" personalised experience for users and a return on investment for investors.
The firm has not given any indication of when the cuts would be made. It said it would provide more information about its "future direction" when it released an earnings update on 17 April.
As Yahoo shrinks, Skype is growing. Once all the new positions are filled, the business expects to have 1,600 employees worldwide.
As part of the expansion it is launching a new technology centre in central London. It says the move would increase its headcount in the city by 40% to 330 posts.
The UK government's desire to monitor people using its services did not influence Skype's decision
It aims to have completed the first stage of the hiring process by the end of June.
Skype's vice-president of product and design told the BBC the new jobs would cover software engineering, product management and design.
"We have one project about 'big data', which is about making use of data that our users generate when using the product to improve the quality of the products we offer," said Rick Osterloh.
"We also a number of initiatives we are working on in the web area, and we are hiring some positions for our newly formed Xbox division."
Skype's move signals that it is not overly concerned about the UK government's intention to give the country's security services increased access to internet data.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has specifically identified Skype as one of the services that the government wants to be monitored.
A statement from Skype said that: "We are not in a position to comment on the UK government's proposed legislation. We do of course comply with legislation in all countries in which we operate."
Skype's use of peer-to-peer technology for its call and instant-messaging services means that it does not store the contents of communications on its servers, and so could not hand the information over unless it changed its systems. | Yahoo has confirmed it is axing about 2,000 posts, which amounts to 14% of its workforce being laid off. |
The Doncaster Central MP was one of three members to be chosen in a secret ballot, succeeding Natascha Engel who lost her seat at the election.
Labour's Lindsay Hoyle topped the ballot and was re-elected as chairman of ways and means. In that role, he will preside over Budget debates.
Tory Eleanor Laing was also re-elected as another deputy to John Bercow.
The Commons Speaker, who has held the role since 2009, was himself re-elected without a formal vote two weeks ago.
As he first stood for the Commons as a Conservative MP, Mr Bercow's deputies must be comprised of one Conservative and two opposition MPs to ensure balance.
Labour's Roberta Blackman-Woods was the only other candidate who stood in the election. Details of the number of votes each candidate got will be published later.
As no other Conservative candidate put their name forward, Mrs Laing was automatically chosen as first deputy chair of ways and means.
Deputy speakers, who stand in for Mr Bercow in the main Commons chamber and have a range of other duties, were elected for the first time in 2010. | Former Labour chief whip Dame Rosie Winterton has been elected as a deputy speaker of the House of Commons. |
Complaints about data collection by GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 were put forward by campaign group Privacy International.
The ruling said some data collection did not comply with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
But it added that proper statutory supervision was put in place last year.
It was a "highly significant judgement", Privacy International said.
As part of its review of the spy agencies' activities, the IPT examined the organisations' collection of communications data - involving the "who, where, when, how and with whom" was involved in conversations, but not their contents - and personal information about people.
Such data is "vital for identifying and developing intelligence targets", according to GCHQ.
Article 8 of the ECHR states, however, that all citizens have the right to a private life and that any interference with personal data must be lawful and necessary.
"It is very significant," said Graham Smith of London law firm Bird & Bird.
He added that much of the data collection had been carried out under an older piece of law - section 94 of the Telecommunications Act 1984.
"It gave absolutely no clue at all that it could be used for this particular purpose," said Mr Smith.
"Everyone accepts that what the agencies do operationally has to be secret, but the laws that say what they can and can't do shouldn't be secret."
An official policy about how such data collection should be carried out lawfully came into force in February 2015 - this was put into practice by the intelligence agencies later the same year.
It included guidance as to how collected data should be acquired, managed and destroyed
The tribunal found that, prior to this, personal datasets compiled by spy agencies did not comply with Article 8 and were therefore "unlawful".
"The powers available to the security and intelligence agencies play a vital role in protecting the UK and its citizens," said the Home Office in a statement.
"We are therefore pleased the tribunal has confirmed the current lawfulness of the existing bulk communications data and bulk personal dataset regimes."
It added that the government was "committed" to providing greater transparency and stronger safeguards for bulk data collection powers available to intelligence agencies. | UK spy agencies broke privacy rules by collecting large amounts of UK citizens' data without adequate oversight, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has ruled. |
Another five soldiers were wounded in a rocket attack on Turkish tanks, the military said in a statement.
The fatalities are believed to be the first since Turkey launched its operation inside Syria two weeks ago.
Two fighters from the Free Syrian Army were also killed and another two injured in the attack.
"Two of our hero comrades were martyred and five were wounded in a rocket attack on two of our tanks by Daesh (IS) elements," the army statement said.
The rocket attack was launched near the village of al-Waqf, it added.
Syrian rebels backed by Turkey say they have recaptured a number of villages from IS since the Turkish operation - code-named Euphrates Shield - began.
The rebels have also retaken the key border town of Jarabulus.
On Sunday, Turkey said IS fighters were pushed out of their last positions along the Turkish-Syrian border.
Turkish forces have targeted IS inside Syria, but have also attacked Kurdish fighters in the same region.
The pursuit of the Kurdish YPG militia has led to criticism by Washington, which regards the Kurds as one of the most effective forces in the battle against IS. | Two Turkish soldiers have been killed by the Islamic State (IS) group in clashes in northern Syria, the Turkish army has said. |
A statue of General Robert E Lee was among those taken down from the Austin campus early on Monday.
Monuments to Confederate figures are symbols of "modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism", the college said.
A woman's death at a far-right rally in Charlottesville has reignited debate over America's racial legacy.
"Last week, the horrific displays of hatred at the University of Virginia and in Charlottesville shocked and saddened the nation," University of Texas at Austin President Greg Fenves said on Sunday.
"These events make it clear, now more than ever, that Confederate monuments have become symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism."
As well as Lee, who was military commander during the 1861-65 American Civil War, a statue of another rebel general, Albert Sidney Johnston, and of Confederate postmaster John H Reagan were taken down.
They were moved to a centre for American history on campus.
A statue of Texas Governor James Stephen Hogg, who served from 1891-95, was also removed and will be considered for re-installation at another site.
"The University of Texas at Austin has a duty to preserve and study history," Mr Fenves continued.
"But our duty also compels us to acknowledge that those parts of our history that run counter to the university's core values, the values of our state and the enduring values of our nation do not belong on pedestals in the heart of the Forty Acres."
The university removed a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis from its campus in 2015 following a mass shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Mr Fenves added that he spoke with members of faculty, students and alumni following the deadly demonstrations in Virginia.
Dozens of schools and local governments have begun removing statues dedicated to the Confederacy, which was a pro-slavery rebellion against the federal government.
It follows violent clashes at a march on 12 August in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white supremacists and neo-Nazis protested against the removal of a monument of General Lee.
A 32-year-old woman was killed and nearly 20 people injured when a car was driven into a crowd of counter-protesters.
Last week, four Confederate-era statues were taken down in Baltimore, Maryland, while the governors of Virginia and North Carolina have ordered the removal of similar monuments in their states.
Recent removals of Confederate statues has sparked backlash among an outspoken group of Americans who view the statues as symbols of US history and southern culture.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the debate on Thursday, tweeting that controversial monuments are "beautiful", adding that they would be "greatly missed" from US cities.
But opponents argue the monuments serve as an offensive reminder of America's history of slavery and racial oppression.
"The historical and cultural significance of the Confederate statues on our campus - and the connections that individuals have with them - are severely compromised by what they symbolise," Mr Fenves said.
"Erected during the period of Jim Crow laws and segregation, the statues represent the subjugation of African Americans. That remains true today for white supremacists who use them to symbolise hatred and bigotry. | The University of Texas has removed four Confederate monuments overnight in the wake of violent clashes in Virginia earlier this month. |
Skills Development Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, ScotlandIS and Education Scotland are backing the £250,000 fund called Digital Xtra.
Among the aims of the scheme is to support extracurricular computing clubs for youngsters aged 16 and under.
A panel will evaluate submissions for funding.
Representatives from technology businesses, Scottish government and education will be on the panel. | A new fund has been set up to award grants to projects that encourage children and teenagers to code, develop websites and create digital animations. |
The 20-year-old Frenchman joined Celtic from Fulham in the summer, with his 32-goal haul ensuring he is now one of Europe's most sought-after strikers.
And Rodgers insists Dembele has benefited massively from making the switch to Scotland's top-flight.
"He's developed very well and met the challenge to play for a big club, feel pressure and win trophies," he said.
"He wants to improve and that's the type of player you want to work with."
Dembele cost Celtic a development fee of just £500,000 but his value has rocketed after a stunning debut season.
Rodgers concedes that the striker will leave the club one day but expects a lot more from him before that time comes.
"I think we all know at some point he will move on, it's just about timing," Rodgers told BBC Sport.
"But I know at this point he's very happy here. He's only 20 and he's been a joy to work with.
"There's no doubt there will be a natural point in time that he goes, I think we all understand that. Unfortunately, that's how it goes up here. But if he serves the club well in his time here that's all we can ask for."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Celtic will win the Premiership title if they beat Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.
They are unbeaten in the league this season, have already won the League Cup and are in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup.
Rodgers described the club's unbeaten run as "incredible" but knows his side have a lot to do to go through the whole campaign without suffering a loss.
"I think the unbeaten one is very difficult," he said. "We have nine games to go and the last five games you go into a split. The last five are against top six teams so it becomes really difficult.
"In terms of the treble, we never really mention it. We have to stabilise that emotion and just think about performing and playing well.
"We want to win every game we play. For the remainder of season we will push as hard as we have all season - I think the group is getting better as they play more together."
Watch the full Football Focus interview on BBC One on Saturday from 12:00 BST. | Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has revealed his delight at the strides made by Moussa Dembele this season. |
Terry Smith, 33, died in hospital in November 2013, a day after being held in Surrey under the Mental Health Act.
He had been taken to Staines police station and kept in restraints.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The IPCC said two sergeants, one of whom had retired, and a health worker contracted to Surrey Police could face charges of gross negligence manslaughter and misconduct in public office.
It had investigated eight police officers and two staff, the methods used to detain Mr Smith and why he was kept under restraint at the police station.
Police arrested Terry Smith, a father who lived locally, in Stanwell at about 22:00 GMT on 12 November 2013 after a call for assistance from an ambulance crew.
He fell ill and was taken to St Peter's hospital in Chertsey, where he died the following day.
IPCC Commissioner Jennifer Izekor said: "We have now completed our investigation into the events leading up to Mr Smith's death.
"I have decided to refer the case to the CPS to determine whether any criminal charges should be brought against any officer.
"My thoughts remain with everyone affected by Mr Smith's death." | Charges of manslaughter and misconduct in public office are to be considered against three police workers following the death of a man restrained by officers. |
The hotel chain said the investment programme would bring 150 jobs and 10 apprenticeships.
Two of the new hotels, located off the Royal Mile on New Market Street, will open at the end of this month.
The third, which will be in York Place in the New Town, is scheduled to open in late spring.
The new sites will take the total number of Premier Inn hotels in the city to 14, with more than 1,500 rooms.
One of the two hotels on the Royal Mile will be a hi-tech "hub by Premier Inn", the chain's first in Scotland. The hub will allow guests to control their room settings using an Apple Watch.
Additional investment by Premier Inn in the city includes a £1.8m extension at Premier Inn Newcraighall and a £1.2m refurbishment at Edinburgh Central.
Simon Ewins, chief operating officer for Premier Inn and hub, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be opening three new fantastic hotels in Edinburgh and it is great that we are able to bring so many jobs and apprenticeships to the city.
"Hub is a new concept for us which we are really excited about, especially as this is the first one in Scotland and outside of London.
"We are confident our guests visiting the beautiful city of Edinburgh will enjoy this new digital experience and we will look to open more in Scotland in the future." | Premier Inn has announced it is investing £35m in opening three new hotels and revamping two others in Edinburgh. |
Courts such as Stirling, Kilmarnock and Dundee were jailing nearly 20% of women appearing before them, compared to 7% in Edinburgh and 5% in Airdrie.
The judiciary said it was not appropriate for an active sheriff to be interviewed for the programme, but retired sheriff Peter Gillam gave the view from the bench. He served as a sheriff from 1991 until 2013, and said the variations reflected the independence of the judiciary.
He said: "Obviously there is now, as I understand it, a board set up for advising on sentence to the judiciary.
"But every judge is his own person or her own person, and they all have different ways of dealing with things, they all have different views and they are all independent.
"There has to be a certain degree of uniformity and that is undoubtedly enforced by the existence of an Appeal Court so anyone who does something which is particularly outrageous, as far as what is perceived to be the appropriate way of dealing with people, that can be corrected.
"But variety is the spice of life and I think that it would be wrong to try to dragoon the judiciary into dealing with things which they believe to be the correct way of dealing with things.
"They have local knowledge, they know the person, they have full information and they deal with it to the best of their ability and you have to trust that person to deal with it in that particular way." | Statistics released under Freedom of Information legislation have shown significant variations in the proportion of jail sentences handed down in sheriff courts across Scotland. |
The 25-year-old batsman died from a haemorrhage in the brain two days after being hit on the neck during a match in Sydney on 25 November 2014.
The five-day hearing was convened to examine if his death was avoidable.
Some players giving testimony at the inquest have been accused of dishonesty for saying they could not recall many of the events of the day.
The inquest, which began on Monday at New South Wales Coroner's Court, heard evidence from players including Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger and David Warner.
The court examined whether Hughes, batting for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield game against New South Wales, had been targeted by short-pitch bowling, or had received unsettling comments from opponents.
Questions were also raised about whether a bowler told Hughes "I'm going to kill you" before he was fatally injured.
Hughes' parents walked out of the inquest as the counsel representing the family, Greg Melick SC, criticised the players for repeatedly answering many questions by saying "no recollection" or "I can't recall".
"At the end of the day, there was a plan, there was sledging, and short-pitched balls were bowled at Phillip Hughes, which increased the risk of an injury," Mr Melick said.
"Nine consecutive short-pitched balls from the one bowler aimed at leg stump or the body of the batsman was going too far."
Suggestions of fabricated evidence were denied by the counsel representing Cricket Australia and its players.
Hughes' brother and sister later exited the inquest as the sworn statements from the players were defended.
The counsel assisting the coroner, Kristina Stern SC, said concerns about sledging and short balls were "unnecessary" and should not form part of the findings.
NSW State Coroner Michael Barnes will deliver his finding from the inquest on 4 November.
A previous report, commissioned by Cricket Australia, said protective helmets should be compulsory for batsman facing fast- and medium-paced bowling.
But it said helmets meeting the newest safety standards would not have saved Hughes' life. | The family of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes walked out of an inquest into his death. |
The 19 were freed following mediation by South Sudan's government, it adds.
This is the first group to be released since about 125 children were abducted in the cross-border raid.
Members of the Murle community carried out the attack. They have previously been accused of stealing livestock and children to raise as their own.
More than 200 people from the rival Nuer community in Ethiopia's western Gambella province were killed in the 15 April raid.
Ethiopian forces crossed into South Sudan, encircling villages where the children were held.
However, the children were freed without any fighting after South Sudanese officials entered into negotiations with the abductors, the Ethiopian News Agency reports.
Negotiations would continue to free all the children, it reports.
"The children must be rescued and be reunited with their families. The cattle that was taken should also be handed over to the right owners," South Sudan's ambassador to Ethiopia, James Pitia Morgan, is quoted as saying.
Ethiopia shares a long border with South Sudan and cross-border raids involving the Murle and Nuer communities are not uncommon.
However, the scale of the 15 April shocked many people in both countries, and led to protests in Ethiopia's Gambella region with parents demanding greater protection for their children.
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said "primitive and destructive forces" carried out the raid. | At least 19 Ethiopian children held captive by an armed South Sudanese group for nearly a month have been freed, Ethiopian state media reports. |
Priyanka Yoshikawa, 22 and who also has an elephant training licence, said she would use her win to "change perceptions".
Last year, Ariana Miyamoto was the first mixed-race person to win the Miss Universe pageant.
Critics complained then that a "pure" Japanese should have won.
Only about 2% of babies born every year in Japan are biracial, or "haafu", the Japanese word for half.
"We are Japanese," Ms Yoshikawa told AFP news agency. "Yes, my dad is Indian and I'm proud of it, I'm proud that I have Indian in me. But that doesn't mean I'm not Japanese."
She credited her win to Ms Miyamoto, saying she had helped show "mixed girls the way".
"Before Ariana, haafu girls couldn't represent Japan," said Ms Yoshikawa. "That's what I thought too. Ariana encouraged me a lot by showing me and all mixed girls the way.
"I know a lot of people who are haafu and suffer," she said. "When I came back to Japan, everyone thought I was a germ."
"Like if they touched me they would be touching something bad. But I'm thankful because that made me really strong."
A few years ago, a woman of Indian descent, Nina Davuluri, faced Twitter abuse after being crowned Miss America. Some called her an "Arab", some a "terrorist", and some an "Arab terrorist". Indians, in large numbers, came to her defence.
Now, Ms Yoshikawa is being criticised for having an Indian father and some Indians have taken to social media to advise the Japanese to "get over it". One Twitter user said she won because she "must have deserved it" while another said "after Gautam Buddha, Ms Yoshikawa is the only Indian to make it big in Japan".
In Ms Yoshikawa's case - as in Ms Davuluri's before her - the biggest complaint seems to be the "lack of purity". But some are wondering whether this debate over purity has any relevance in today's globalised world.
As one Twitter user said: "Talent cannot be controlled or ruled by caste, colour, gender or country of origin."
The pageant winner, also an avid kick-boxer and qualified elephant trainer, said that she hoped to change perceptions.
"When I'm abroad, people never ask me what mix I am. As Miss Japan, hopefully I can help change perceptions so that it can be the same here too."
Ms Yoshikawa's win did not trigger the backlash that Ms Miyamoto received on social media.
There were however, several on Twitter that expressed unhappiness.
"It's like we're saying a pure Japanese face can't be a winner," said one user.
"What's the point of holding a pageant like this now? Zero national characteristics," another complained.
Ms Yoshikawa however, was not letting the doubters get to her.
"There was a time as a kid when I was confused about my identity," she said. "But I've lived in Japan so long now I feel Japanese." | A half-Indian woman has been crowned Miss World Japan, the second year in a row a biracial person has won a beauty pageant in the country. |
The Moscow city court accepted the arguments of Russia's justice ministry that as the term "Scientology" is a registered US trademark, the Church cannot be considered a religious organisation.
The organisation plans to appeal, reports said.
The court set a six-month timescale for the Church to close, the ministry said.
Created by science fiction writer L Ron Hubbard in 1954 and based in Los Angeles, California, the Church of Scientology has generated controversy around the world.
Critics say that it is a cult and that it scams its members, while supporters maintain that it provides spiritual support to its followers. | A Russian court has ruled that the Moscow branch of the Church of Scientology should be dissolved. |
Bristol-born Kersey-Brown grew up in Penmaenmawr and was a Wales schoolboy rugby union international.
He spent five years at London Welsh before switching codes to turn professional with Huddersfield in November 1967.
Kersey-Brown, who also played for Oldham, won two caps for Wales in the 1968-69 season.
"We're really sorry to hear that Alex has lost his long battle with cancer," Wales Rugby League's chairman Brian Juliff said.
"On behalf of everyone at Wales Rugby League, I would like to send our condolences to Alex's family and friends at this sad time." | Former Wales rugby league international Alex Kersey-Brown has died, aged 73, after a long battle with illness. |
The Labour leader told ITV it was "impossible" for members of his top team to remain in place if they rebelled against a three-line whip.
Shadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens quit last week over the issue - other senior MPs say they will rebel.
Mr Corbyn has ordered all Labour MPs to support the bill triggering Article 50.
Labour backed the campaign to keep the UK in the EU in the referendum in June and many Labour MPs represent constituencies which voted for Remain.
But many seats which voted to leave the EU are also represented by Labour MPs.
Mr Corbyn says he understands the pressures on MPs in pro-Remain constituencies but has called on them to unite around the important issues.
His shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has said that, since a UK-wide referendum with a 72% turnout returned a vote in favour of withdrawing from the EU, it would "be very undermining of democracy" for MPs to vote against beginning the formal process of leaving.
Ms Stevens quit on Friday saying Brexit was a "terrible mistake". Shadow minister Tulip Siddiq also quit last week saying she would vote against the EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill.
Two Labour whips, Jeff Smith and Thangam Debbonaire, who are in charge of party discipline, have also said they will rebel - though they have not resigned.
Another shadow minister Daniel Zeichner has said he will vote against the bill, as will other MPs including former Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw.
Mr Corbyn told ITV's Peston on Sunday: "There was no need for anyone to resign at this stage. It's obviously impossible to carry on being in the shadow cabinet if you vote against a decision made after a very frank and very long discussion of the shadow cabinet earlier this week."
Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson has said divisions in the party will be handled sensitively and suggested some rebels could be back in senior roles "within months".
The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill was introduced after the Supreme Court ruled that parliament - not just the government alone - must vote to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which starts the formal process of the UK leaving the EU.
Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to begin the formal process of leaving by the end of March.
The bill is due to be debated by MPs on Tuesday - in a sitting that may last until midnight - and clear the Commons on 8 February, after which it will move to the House of Lords.
Labour has demanded changes including giving the Commons a vote on the final Brexit deal before European leaders or MEPs consider it.
The Liberal Democrats have vowed to oppose the triggering of Article 50 unless there is a guarantee of another referendum on the final Brexit deal that is agreed with Brussels, while the SNP has vowed to table 50 amendments to the legislation. | Jeremy Corbyn has warned shadow cabinet ministers not to expect to stay in their jobs if they vote against starting the process of leaving the EU. |
He felt a problem after coming on as a second-half substitute at St James' Park and a scan showed a strain.
It is the latest in a long line of injury absences for the 26-year-old, who had just returned to action after knee and foot problems.
Sturridge has made six appearances so far this season, scoring four goals.
Having scored 28 times for Liverpool and England in 2013-14, he was restricted to just 18 appearances last season because of thigh, calf and hip injuries.
After recovering from a hip operation in May, Sturridge played three games at the start of this term but then did not feature from 4 October until 29 November.
He scored twice in the 6-1 League Cup quarter-final win at Southampton last Wednesday but was hurt at Newcastle after coming on in the 62nd minute.
When a foot problem picked up in training forced him to miss the Reds' Europa League win over Bordeaux on 26 November, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said Sturridge had to learn "what is serious pain and what is only pain".
Liverpool, currently eighth in the Premier League, face seven games from now until the first leg of their League Cup semi-final at Stoke on 5 January. | Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge will be out for several weeks after suffering a hamstring injury during Sunday's defeat by Newcastle. |
President Joko Widodo proposed the changes in May following the gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl.
The laws were subject to fierce debate in parliament, with two opposition parties voting against castration.
Human rights groups have objected to the punishments, arguing that violence will not be stopped by violence.
The Indonesian Doctors Association said administering chemical castration would violate its professional ethics and said its members should not take part.
The procedure entails injecting convicts with female hormones. It is used on sex offenders in Poland, South Korea, Russia, and some US states, among others. Prisoners in UK jails can volunteer for the treatment.
The new laws also allow judges to sentence paedophiles to death or tag them electronically, and applies a 10-year minimum sentence for child sex crimes.
Human rights groups including the National Commission for Women (NCW) criticised the laws and called for them to be re-evaluated each year to test whether they are a deterrent.
Azriana, the head of the NCW, said: "Other countries that have chemical castration have not seen a reduction in sexual crime against children. Also it's a very expensive procedure and what we should be spending and investing our money in is services to support and help the victims."
Dr Yohana Susana Yembise, Indonesia's Minister for Women Empowerment and Child Protection, said the administration was "praying" that the punishments "will have the desired effect".
She said: "Now we have the harshest punishments: the death penalty, life in prison, chemical castration, the public naming of perpetrators and the electronic chip. These are now law, so even if you hate the idea of them everyone now has to support this."
The punishments follow a number of high profile cases of child sexual abuse in the country. Last year, a British-Canadian teacher and an Indonesian were jailed for 10 years for sexually abusing three children at a Jakarta kindergarten.
And earlier this year, the body of a nine-year-old girl was found in a cardboard box in Jakarta after she had been repeatedly sexually assaulted and killed. | Indonesia's parliament has passed controversial laws authorising chemical castration, minimum sentences and execution for convicted paedophiles. |
The 17-year-old fell some 40m (130ft) into a dry riverbed below. The teenager had been in a group from the Netherlands and Belgium staying at a nearby surf camp.
Last month, British tourist Kleyo De Abreu died in a bungee jump off a bridge near Granada, southern Spain.
She suffered fatal injuries when she hit the wall of the bridge below her.
A police spokesman told Dutch media that the latest "ghastly accident" may have been caused by carelessness, although it was unclear what had gone wrong.
The teenager had been taking part in a type of bungee jump known as "puenting", which involves diving with two cords attached, and then swinging beneath the bridge or viaduct.
Bungee jumping has become extremely popular in Spain in recent years, both among locals and foreign tourists.
Spectacular settings in rural areas of Andalusia in the south, or Cantabria and the Pyrenees in the north are common destinations both for bungee aficionados and first-timers.
Companies offer both bungee jumping and its bridge-swinging variant, "puenting".
There have been around 10 deaths linked to bungee jumping since it took off in the 1980s. Prior to the two fatalities this summer, the most recent was that of a 48-year-old man at Robledo de Chavela, near Madrid, in 2013.
How to check your jump is safe
Local police chief Joaquin Gonzalez said he had not known that puenting took place on the bridge, adding that it was "extremely risky".
The jump took place from the top of a bridge over the A8 road at Cabezon de la Sal in Cantabria.
Mayor Isabel Fernandez told Dutch TV that it was an enormous tragedy. "The girl was so young. We're ready to help her family as much as we can." | A Dutch teenage girl has been killed while bungee jumping from a viaduct near Santander in northern Spain. |
Archaeologists working for the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) found the walled enclosure under the lawn in the South Ayrshire castle's Fountain Court.
NTS said it probably functioned as a kitchen garden from about 1733 to 1782.
As was the fashion in the late 18th Century, a new walled garden was then built out of sight from the house.
This would have allowed the former site to be landscaped to improve the views from the castle.
Derek Alexander, head of archaeological services for the NTS, said: "Although it was marked on the estate map, until now we never knew that any of it survived below the immaculate turf of the Fountain Court.
"This work has given us the perfect opportunity to explore a hidden aspect of Culzean's past and, once the lawn is re-seeded, I can't imagine the gardeners will want us digging more holes!"
The garden is thought to be from work undertaken by Sir John Kennedy of Culzean, 2nd Baronet, in 1733.
It can be seen on an estate map of Culzean drawn by John Foulis in 1755.
The garden was abandoned in 1782 and the walls were demolished by Robert Adam's workmen as part of a wide range of improvements carried out around the castle.
The drainage works, currently being carried out at Fountain Court, aim to make it suitable for staging large public events. | Remains of an 18th Century garden have been found at Culzean Castle during excavation works to install a new drainage system. |
The landmark figure was reached in March - nine months ahead of schedule.
It follows decades of global efforts and investment to get antiretroviral drugs to those in need - such as people living in sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2000, when the UN first set goals to combat HIV, fewer than 700,000 people were receiving these vital medicines.
According to UN Aids, which has a report out today, the global response to HIV has averted 30 million new HIV infections and nearly eight million Aids-related deaths since the millennium.
Over the same time frame, new HIV infections have fallen from 2.6 million per year to 1.8 million, and Aids-related deaths have gone down from 1.6 million to 1.2 million.
Meanwhile, global investment in HIV has gone up from £3.1bn ($4.8bn) in 2000 to more than £13bn ($20bn) in 2014.
And concerted action over the next five years could end the Aids epidemic by 2030, says UN Aids.
But progress has been slower in some areas.
A major gap seems to be in awareness of HIV status, which is the biggest barrier to treatment access, says the report.
And treatment access for children has lagged behind adults - although this is now improving.
The proportion of children living with HIV who receive antiretroviral therapy almost doubled between 2010 and 2014 (from 14% to 32%), but coverage "remains notably lower than it does for adults", says the report.
Even though new HIV infections have gone down, there is still an unacceptable number of new HIV infections each year, contributing to the burden of the epidemic.
In 2014, sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 66% of all new HIV infections. And at the last headcount, there were an estimated 25.8 million people in this region living with HIV. The estimated count for the whole world was 36.9 million.
This year sees the switch from Millennium Development Goals to broader Sustainable Development Goals.
Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations said: "The world has delivered on halting and reversing the Aids epidemic.
"Now we must commit to ending the Aids epidemic as part of the Sustainable Development Goals."
The report says the next five years will be critical and recommends front-loading investment to "sprint" towards an ambition of ending the Aids epidemic by 2030. | The goal to get HIV treatment to 15 million people by the end of 2015 has already been met, says the United Nations Aids agency. |
Standing at 3ft 7in tall, James, from Colwyn Bay, was born with diastrophic dysplasia, which is known as dwarfism.
When he was three-years-old he needed a major operation on his neck and then had another operation at seven where he started using lizeroth frames to straighten his legs.
Now he is able to live his life as normal and now he will be carrying the Olympic torch in Rhos-on-Sea when it travels through Wales from 25-30 May.
James, 23, was nominated by a friend after they met at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008 on the young advocate programme run by the British Council.
"I'm really excited about it and looking forward to the day," he said.
"It's quite an amazing privilege because the guy who nominated me I met in Beijing at the Paralympic Games. He's in London, I am in north Wales.
"It's quite touching.
"Whenever I see him, during the couple of days we are together, he always says I'm an inspiration to him and drives him to carry on with his life.
The BBC's home of 2012: Latest Olympic news, sport, culture, torch relay, video and audio
"I've always accepted the way I am and I strongly believe God made me the way I am.
"That's why I live the dream and don't let things get me down."
James is a member of the Dwarf Sports Association and won the association's junior sports personality three times and held the British Class 1 badminton champion within the DSA for nine years.
In nominating James, friend Russell Swannack praised him for his work within disability sport.
"James has worked extremely hard to encourage others to become involved in disability sport and particularly dwarf sport," he said.
"He went to the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008 to empower others and this is where I was fortunate enough to meet him and be inspired by a truly incredible person who I can now call my friend.
"Carrying the Olympic torch would be a dream come true for James." | James Lusted has overcome a number of difficulties in his young life. |
Official figures showed the value of sales rose by 0.1% north of the border between January and March, compared with 0.3% for the UK.
Sales volumes were up by 0.7% - compared with a UK figure of 0.8%.
The Scottish Retail Sales Index also showed that the volume of sales in Scotland went up by 2.7% over the year, while the value rose by just 0.1%.
Scottish Retail Consortium director David Lonsdale said the return to growth was encouraging, but added there was a "continuing fragility" in consumer confidence which was affecting retailers.
He urged the next Scottish government to prioritise policies which encouraged investment and expansion in the sector.
Mr Lonsdale said: "The prospects for retailers are ultimately determined by the state of the economy and their own ability to adapt and seize on the opportunities that arise.
"Our new MSPs can help by channelling their collective energies into ensuring that the retail industry, Scotland's largest private-sector employer, is even better-placed to be able to invest, expand and create jobs."
Euan Murray, of Barclays Corporate Banking in Scotland, said the "measured increase" in the volume of sales in the first quarter had been mainly driven by food sales, in contrast with the previous three months.
He added: "We are continuing to see non-food retailers benefit from a strong online offering with more value-conscious consumers comparing prices online to secure the best bargains.
"We would expect to see the online retail space continue to become ever more important as we move forward."
Recent industry figures suggested Scotland's retailers experienced a mixed month in March.
The SRC-KPMG monitor found total sales for the five weeks to 2 April were 1.3% lower than the same period last year.
The non-food category saw household goods such as furniture and flooring doing well.
But fashion and footwear registered its worst decline since May last year.
The report said that fall was influenced by the early Easter. | Retail sales rose slightly in Scotland in the first three months of this year but still lagged the UK as a whole. |
His younger brother Ogbonna told BBC Sport that the former Arsenal striker is doing well after the operation.
"It's important to clarify that decision to operate him was reached during his annual medical check-up.
"We give thanks to God that everything went well and he's in perfect condition.
The decision to operate him was reached during his annual medical check-up
"The family would like to say a big 'thank you' to Nigerians and Nwankwo Kanu's fans across the world for their prayers and best wishes."
The former Nigeria captain first had heart surgery in November 1996 to correct a faulty aortic valve.
After year out, he returned to action for Inter Milan and in February 1999 joined Premier League side Arsenal.
The experience prompted him to set up a foundation to build five hospitals in Africa to treat undiagnosed heart disease and provide surgery.
At the weekend, the Nigerian government named Kanu among the 100 most distinguished Nigerians during a ceremony to mark the centenary of the unification of north and south Nigeria.
Kanu announced his retirement from international football at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
His international success includes a Fifa under-17 World Cup title in 1993 and the 1996 Olympic football gold medal.
Kanu's individual honours include African Footballer of the Year awards in 1996 and 1999. | Nwankwo Kanu is recovering in the United States after undergoing corrective heart surgery. |
The march began at about 14:15 BST in St Helen's Square before making its way to York Minster.
The crowd was then addressed by representatives of charities and pressure groups as well as refugees.
March organiser Harkirit Boparai, from York Human Rights Network, said: "What we've seen through this demonstration is the community spirit of York".
David Cameron announced on Monday that the UK would accept up to 20,000 people from camps surrounding Syria with priority given to vulnerable children.
A spokesperson for City of York Council said: "The council is meeting partners from across the city to identify how York can best provide support, as we await information from the government on how the process of resettlement will work." | Hundreds of people have taken part in a "York says refugees welcome here" rally in the city centre. |
Over the next four days they will be speaking to skippers and vessel owners from all sectors of the fishing industry in Northern Ireland about their running costs.
It is part of the 11th annual economic survey of the UK fishing fleet.
The results will be published next year.
Tom Pickerell, of the group Seafish said: "This is a hugely important exercise that enables us to better understand the industry as a whole and as a result helps us to inform key decision makers at a national and European level.
"We therefore urge skippers and boat owners across the UK to be part of the project by speaking to our researchers so that we can present the most accurate picture possible and help drive better informed policy." | Researchers from the UK fishing industry will visit ports across Northern Ireland from Monday. |
Carwyn Scott-Howell was on holiday with family when police say he fell 160ft (49m) after straying off piste.
In a statement his family said he was a "very competent skier and snowboarder".
His family said they were skiing together when Carwyn's sister "lost her ski on a jump" and Carwyn skied ahead.
The accident happened in Flaine, 38 miles north west of Chamonix.
In their statement released through the Foreign Office, the family described Carwyn as an "adorable, caring person" who learned to ski from the age of three.
The statement went on to explain how the family became separated on their last run of the day on Friday afternoon.
It said: "The family were all enjoying their last ski run over the small jumps and bumps at the side of the slope together, when Carwyn's sister lost her ski on a jump and at this point Carwyn skied ahead.
"The family cannot explain their feeling of utter devastation with a vast void in their hearts.
"The family would like to thank all their friends and family for their support at this time and the vast help from the British Consulate."
Police chief Patrick Poirot, head of the mountain rescue division in the nearby town of Annecy, said yesterday that police believed the boy did not know where to go after losing his parents and skied in the wrong direction.
He said: "He left the marked ski slope and probably skied to the top of a cliff.
"He then stopped, removed his skis, walked a little way and then fell."
The family have a farm in the small village of Talybont-on-Usk in the Brecon Beacons, where Carwyn's parents Ceri and Rhys run an award-winning produce business and rent holiday cottages.
Liam Fitzpatrick, an independent county councillor for the village, said the community was "in absolute shock".
"He was seven years old, it's horrendous. A tragic, tragic accident," he said.
"We just can't comprehend it.
"It's a small village and everyone knows each other, especially his parents who are well-known because of their business.
"There will be massive support here for them when they come back. The community will be ready to assist in any way it possible can.
"It's impossible to know what they are going through at the moment." | The family of a seven-year-old boy who fell to his death on a skiing holiday in the French Alps on Friday have described him as a "daring, outgoing, determined little boy". |
Signings confirmed in May,June,July and August can be found on the relevant pages, while you can see who each club has released on our dedicated page.
For all the latest rumours check out the gossip page and, for all the manager ins and outs, see our list of current bosses.
Junior Morias [St Albans - Peterborough] Undisclosed*
Oscar [Chelsea - Shanghai SIPG] About £60m*
*Deals to go through once January transfer window opens
Jermaine Grandison [Unattached - Colchester]
Dan Sweeney [Maidstone - Barnet] Undisclosed*
*Deal to go through on 1 January
Zavon Hines [Unattached - Southend]
Lukas Jutkiewicz [Burnley - Birmingham] £1m*
*Deal to go through on 3 January
Andy Boyle [Dundalk - Preston] Free*
Daryl Horgan [Dundalk - Preston] Free*
*Deals will go through on 1 January.
Rhys Sharpe [Unattached - Swindon]
Alexander McQueen [Unattached - Carlisle]
Kevin Wright [Unattached - Carlisle]
Abdoulaye Meite [Unattached - Newport]
Tom Barkhuizen [Morecambe - Preston] Compensation*
*Deals will go through on 1 January.
Jack Jebb [Unattached - Newport]
Josh O'Hanlon [Unattached - Newport]
Godswill Ekpolo [Unattached - Fleetwood]
Michael Collins [Unattached - Leyton Orient]
Jamal Lowe [Hampton & Richmond - Portsmouth] Undisclosed*
*Deal will go through in January.
Peter Odemwingie [Unattached - Rotherham]
Ryan Taylor [Unattached - Port Vale]
Derek Asamoah [Unattached - Carlisle]
Ishmael Miller [Unattached - Bury]
Kieran Richardson [Unattached - Cardiff]
Sol Bamba [Unattached - Cardiff]
Marouane Chamakh [Unattached - Cardiff]
Junior Hoilett [Unattached - Cardiff]
Alex Cooper [Unattached - Cheltenham]
Lloyd Doyley [Unattached - Colchester]
Chris Herd [Unattached - Gillingham]
Frank Nouble [Unattached - Gillingham]
Gary Taylor-Fletcher [Unattached - Accrington]
Marc-Antoine Fortune [Unattached - Southend]
Stephane Sessegnon [Unattached - Montpellier]
Reece Brown [Unattached - Sheffield United]
Omari Patrick [Unattached - Barnsley]
Wes Brown [Unattached - Blackburn]
Jens Janse [Unattached - Leyton Orient]
Zan Benedicic [Unattached - Leyton Orient]
Oscar Gobern [Unattached - Mansfield]
Thorsten Stuckmann [Unattached - Partick Thistle]
Lee Lucas [Unattached - Motherwell]
Reuben Reid [Unattached - Exeter]
Dean Cox [Unattached - Crawley] Free*
*Cannot play for Crawley until 2 January 2017
Nathan Tyson [Unattached - Kilmarnock]
Mathieu Flamini [Unattached - Crystal Palace]
Nicklas Bendtner [Unattached - Nottingham Forest]
Mika [Boavista - Sunderland] Undisclosed
Joel Ekstrand [Unattached - Bristol City]
Urby Emanuelson [Unattached - Sheffield Wednesday]
Dexter Blackstock [Unattached - Rotherham]
Victor Anichebe [Unattached - Sunderland]
Brian Murphy [Unattached - Cardiff]
Chris Robertson [Unattached - AFC Wimbledon]
The page covers signings by Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premiership clubs, along with selected deals from overseas and the Scottish Championship. | The summer transfer window has closed in England and Scotland, but clubs can sign free agents, so long as they were without a club at the transfer deadline. |
Vincent Ryan, 25, was shot as he sat in a car at McKee Road, Finglas, at about 15:15 local time.
His brother, Alan Ryan, was killed in 2012. Both men had been well known to Irish police.
It is believed Vincent Ryan was shot in the head, throat and chest. He later died in hospital.
Irish police (gardai) have begun a murder inquiry.
Vincent Ryan has also been described by police as a well-known dissident republican.
A burnt-out vehicle was found near the scene of the shooting.
Police are not linking Monday's murder to a gangland feud in the city that claimed two lives earlier this month. | The man shot dead in north Dublin on Monday was a brother of a murdered member of the dissident republican Real IRA. |
Pippa McManus, 15, weighed about 4st (25kg) when she was being treated at The Priory in Altrincham.
She was released in December 2015 and later died after stepping in front of a train near Stockport.
A lack of support available to her family contributed to her death, Stockport Coroner's Court heard.
The jury returned a conclusion of suicide but found the care plan when Ms McManus was discharged was inadequate and there was not enough communication with the family about her suicide risk.
Inadequate community care and specialist support and a lack of cohesiveness amongst agencies were also contributory factors to her death, the court heard.
Speaking after the conclusion, her mother Marie said there should have been more help available and "too many of our children are dying from this terrible illness".
"Effective treatment is needed more quickly and if this had been available to our beautiful daughter, maybe she would still be alive today, maybe we would not have needed this inquest," she said.
Paula Stanford, hospital director at The Priory, said: "Our heartfelt sympathies are with Pip's family and we will now carefully consider the findings of the jury."
During the inquest, the hospital said her anorexia was one of the most severe cases it had seen.
The coroner, Andrew Bridgman, said he will write to all of the agencies involved in her care.
The inquest heard Ms McManus had a history of self-harming and had previously written a number of goodbye notes to her family, doctor, and The Priory hospital.
By the age of 13, she had been diagnosed with severe anorexia and was obsessed with diet and exercise and in September 2014, was sectioned and treated at The Priory.
She was released in December 2015, by which time she was not considered high risk, though she remained under hospital care.
But following a family row five days later, the teenager walked to Gatley train station near her home and killed herself.
Her father, Jim, said his daughter's anorexia "had too strong of a grip."
"She used to say she had bad thoughts and wasn't allowed to do things - she couldn't even lick an ice-cream. She'd turn around and say I'm not allowed.
"Whatever was going on in her head was so strong she just couldn't comply."
Her mother, Marie, said it "was just horrific" and "a nightmare."
"[Pippa] hated herself. She thought she was the ugliest person in the world. Whatever you said, it didn't make a difference because that's what the anorexia was telling her.
"We needed some trained mental health workers to work with us but they weren't there to do that... We were let down by everybody I think. Everybody had a part to play."
Deborah Coles, director of INQUEST, a charity that supported the family during the court process, said her parents' "concerns were dismissed and minimised throughout".
"Pip's death has exposed a mental health system which pushed through the discharge of a highly vulnerable child without any of the support or care in place to make sure she would be safe," she said. | No adequate care plan was in place for an anorexic teenager who killed herself five days after being released from a psychiatric hospital, an inquest found. |
She is the university's 11th chancellor, a role which dates back to 1860.
Camilla succeeds Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, who stepped down in December.
The Duchess of Rothesay attended a ceremony at the university, before presenting honorary degrees. She will then attend a reception. | Camilla, the Duchess of Rothesay, has been unveiled as the new chancellor of the University of Aberdeen - and described it as a "great honour". |
The numbers are set out in a report to go to the local authority next week.
The council said it would allow the schools to work "more effectively and efficiently" within building capacity.
The report said that secondary pupil numbers in the town had "declined significantly" over the past 20 years while primary schools had room for another 1,400 children.
All four secondary schools in Dumfries are being rebuilt or refurbished under the Learning Town scheme.
A new "learning hub" with room for more than 300 students is also being built.
The proposals would see both Dumfries Academy and Dumfries High School have caps imposed on their S1 intake from next year which would be below average numbers for the last 20 years.
The report said that the caps on intake would be reviewed each year taking into account a range of factors.
It said the new combined capacity of secondary schools would be "more than enough" to meet the needs of the town.
Figures for the primary schools show all of them would have a maximum intake set at or above their 20-year average except for schools planned to move to new sites.
The school rolls at St Ninian's and Lochside will be combined from August 2018 while figures for Loreburn Primary have been based on plans to move it to part of a central campus including Dumfries Academy.
Ae Primary, Caerlaverock Primary, Kirkbean Primary, Locharbriggs Primary and St Teresa's Primary are part of a "low utilisation" review. | A report has revealed proposed pupil intake capping levels as part of plans to overhaul education in Dumfries. |
The 25-year-old has agreed a three-year contract at the Madejski Stadium.
His arrival comes after it was revealed veteran striker Yann Kermorgant will miss the start of the season following surgery on his hip and groin.
Bodvarsson joined Wolves from Kaiserslautern last summer, scoring three goals in 48 appearances.
"Jon is the type of player who can play in our system and he is able to play in a number up different positions within that system too - up front as a central striker, as one of a two or as a winger," Royals boss Jaap Stam told the club website.
"He's a strong runner, he's tall but he's very comfortable on the ball, he's got some pace, so he's definitely a player who will be a useful addition to our squad."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Reading have signed Iceland international striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson from Championship rivals Wolves for an undisclosed fee. |
But Belgian-born Dutchman Max Verstappen was unable to drive a car legally on his own in either country.
That all changed on Wednesday when the youngster turned 18 and passed his driving test at the first attempt.
Despite having competed in 14 grands prix since his debut in Australia in March, Verstappen admitted to feeling the pressure during his test.
"It's a relief," said the Toro Rosso driver, who finished ninth in Japan on Sunday and had only started driving lessons a week ago. "I was a bit nervous to make mistakes, but the exam went well."
A bonus of turning 18 is that Verstappen will now be able to drink the champagne if he ever makes it onto the podium. | He is Formula 1's youngest ever driver and in charge of a car that can reach over 200mph. |
European leaders gathered in the Polish port of Gdansk for a midnight ceremony at the site where the first shots of the war were fired.
The Gdansk commemoration was seen as a slight to Russia's Victory Parade on Saturday, which has been boycotted by Western leaders because of Ukraine.
There will also be ceremonies in Paris, London, Berlin, as well as Washington.
The commemoration in Gdansk was marked with a 21-gun salute on the stroke of midnight. Beams of light illuminated a monument to Polish defenders in Westerplatte and the national anthem was played.
In a speech, Poland's President Bronislaw Komorowski said the war had started with the co-operation of two totalitarian regimes led by Hitler and Stalin.
He went on to say that the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 did not bring freedom but instead communism and the Iron Curtain. Such division finally ended, the president said, with the integration of the region into the European Union.
The event was attended by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the presidents of several countries including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Ukraine.
But many other Western leaders - who are boycotting Moscow's event and for whom the Gdansk commemoration was partly organised - did not attend.
Among those in Gdansk was Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko who said it was possible to draw parallels from history and the current situation in Europe.
"Annexation and invasion, under the pretext of defending ethnic minorities... could all become the new reality," he said.
Relations between Russia and the West have been soured by Russia's annexation of Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula last year and support for rebels in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Moscow denies it is arming the rebels and sending troops across the border.
Russia, which lost more citizens to the war than any other nation, will stage its biggest-ever military parade during its Victory ceremony in Moscow's Red Square on Saturday.
Later on Friday, there will be a ceremony in Germany where President Joachim Gauck will lay a wreath at a cemetery for Soviet soldiers. The German parliament will meet in special session.
In London, a remembrance service will be held at the Cenotaph and 200 beacons will later be lit across the country.
In France, where VE (Victory in Europe) Day is a national holiday, President Francois Hollande will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
In the US, a ceremony will be held at the national World War Two memorial in Washington followed by a flypast of vintage fighter planes.
It was on 8 May 1945 that Allied forces accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, marking the end of the war in Europe. But it was not the end of WW2. It would take another three months before Japan surrendered. | Events are being held across Europe to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two on the continent. |
The midfielder, 27, has been inundated with messages of congratulations on social media following the birth of Raine on Friday night.
Chairman of AFC Bournemouth Jeff Mostyn was among the first to congratulate Arter and his partner Rachel, tweeting: "Thrilled with the incredible news."
Their daughter Renee was stillborn in December 2015.
AFC Bournemouth also congratulated Arter on the news, tweeting: "From one family to another, congratulations."
Arter responded to the support on Twitter, saying: "Thank you to everyone for all of your kind messages", adding an emoji rainbow and a heart.
"Rainbow baby" is a phrase used by some parents who have lost a child through a miscarriage or stillbirth as they compare their subsequent child to a beautiful sight after a storm.
TV cameras caught an emotional moment after Bournemouth's match against Manchester City on Monday when City manager Pep Guardiola embraced Arter and offered his best wishes for the imminent birth.
Arter said at the time: "He's someone I have massive respect for. I watched his Barcelona teams and he is, without doubt, the best manager in the world."
Messages have also been sent to the couple from numerous other clubs and fans.
Leeds United's Liam Cooper tweeted: "Congrats mate", while a section of the club's fans tweeted: "Lovely to see the football world come together to congratulate you - congrats Harry."
Elsewhere, Stourbridge Wolves tweeted: "Fantastic news, congratulations from all Stourbridge FC fans." | Bournemouth's Harry Arter has thanked well-wishers for their kind messages after the birth of his daughter. |
The former Northern Ireland international, who died last week, was remembered with a minute's applause and a video tribute following a career that saw him score more than 140 goals for the club.
On the pitch, however, the Bantams were looking for a response to the loss at Roots Hall and they started in positive fashion.
Mark McNulty and Nicky Law each had shots deflected for corners and Bradford twice appealed in vain for a penalty, with Hanson and McNulty both going down inside the area to no avail.
The hosts continued to press after the interval as Haris Vuckic and Law went close before the home side's pressure paid off in the 56th minute.
Vuckic's overhit cross from the right was kept in play by Mark Marshall, who clipped the ball into the area where Hanson scored with a header from close range.
However, Northampton came close to equalising when only a brilliant one-handed save by Colin Doyle kept out Alex Revell's header from Paul Anderson's cross, before substitute Marc Richards had the ball in the net in the 84th minute only to be ruled offside.
Report supplied by Press Association.
Match ends, Bradford City 1, Northampton Town 0.
Second Half ends, Bradford City 1, Northampton Town 0.
John-Joe O'Toole (Northampton Town) is shown the yellow card.
Romain Vincelot (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Alex Revell (Northampton Town).
Nicky Law (Bradford City) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by James Hanson (Bradford City).
John-Joe O'Toole (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Bradford City. Rory McArdle replaces Josh Cullen.
Substitution, Northampton Town. Alfie Potter replaces Paul Anderson.
Attempt missed. Alex Revell (Northampton Town) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Josh Cullen (Bradford City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Raheem Hanley (Northampton Town).
Foul by Filipe Morais (Bradford City).
Matthew Taylor (Northampton Town) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Josh Cullen (Bradford City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Marc Richards (Northampton Town).
Substitution, Bradford City. Jordy Hiwula-Mayifuila replaces Marc McNulty.
James Meredith (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Paul Anderson (Northampton Town).
Attempt saved. Josh Cullen (Bradford City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Filipe Morais (Bradford City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by David Buchanan (Northampton Town).
Corner, Bradford City. Conceded by David Cornell.
Attempt blocked. Filipe Morais (Bradford City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Bradford City. Conceded by David Cornell.
Attempt missed. Mark Marshall (Bradford City) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner from a direct free kick.
Josh Cullen (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Paul Anderson (Northampton Town).
Corner, Bradford City. Conceded by Paul Anderson.
Attempt missed. Marc Richards (Northampton Town) header from the left side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the left.
James Hanson (Bradford City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Rod McDonald (Northampton Town).
Foul by Filipe Morais (Bradford City).
John-Joe O'Toole (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Alex Revell (Northampton Town) because of an injury.
Attempt saved. Alex Revell (Northampton Town) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Foul by James Hanson (Bradford City).
David Buchanan (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. | James Hanson was the match winner as Bradford bounced back from Saturday's defeat at Southend with a hard-earned home win over Northampton, on a night when the club paid tribute to their record goalscorer Bobby Campbell. |
The "truly wicked, marauding mob" stabbed Sean McHugh, 19, with a "sword stick" in Anfield on 30 September 2013.
Reese O'Shaughnessy, 19, was jailed for a minimum of 18 years after he was convicted alongside four others.
Andrew Hewitt, 15, Keyfer Dykstra, Corey Hewitt and Joseph McGill, all 14, were also detained by Liverpool Crown Court.
Dykstra was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years, Andrew Hewitt and McGill were sentenced to a minimum of nine years and Corey Hewitt for a minimum of six years.
Judge Clement Goldstone described Mr McHugh's killers as "a marauding mob".
"Each of you has been convicted of the murder of Sean McHugh - a truly wicked attack in which each of you played different roles," Justice Goldstone said.
A victim impact statement from Mr McHugh's mother Lorraine that was read in court said: "They might as well have killed me."
The teenagers were part of a gang known as the Lane Heads, a rival gang to the Walton Village Heads which Mr McHugh was linked to.
Months earlier, Dykstra was stabbed in the chest by a member of the Walton Village Heads and wanted to "avenge that stabbing", the court heard.
"The stabbing was avenged not by attacking the person responsible, but by attacking someone... by virtue of his affiliation to the Walton Village Heads," Justice Goldstone said.
The gang targeted Mr McHugh, of Beckett Street, Liverpool, after a minor dispute and found him at the Priory Road launderette, where he had left his washing, at about 19:00 BST.
Armed with knives and the makeshift sword stick, described as similar to a broom handle but with a blade attached, the gang forced the back door to the room where Mr McHugh was hiding.
He was beaten and stabbed before the group ran out.
Mr McHugh escaped and was found in an alleyway having been stabbed in the groin. He died a few days later in hospital from blood loss. | Five teenagers who murdered a man in a Liverpool launderette when some of them were 13 years old have been sentenced. |
Serial burglar Darren February, 34 and of no fixed address, denies breaking into Mr Cowell's west London home while he was asleep in December 2015.
Isleworth Crown Court heard traces of Mr February's DNA was discovered on a glove found dropped nearby.
It was also found on a mark on the side of the entrance steps, the court heard.
A forensic expert said the discovery meant it was possible that the defendant, who has been convicted of 37 burglaries, wore the gloves to steal a diamond ring, earrings and watches, before discarding them near the Holland Park home.
Traces of other people's DNA were also found on the items tested, expert Sara Short said.
In their report Ms Short and Rachel Pollard found that while "one possible explanation is that he had worn the gloves and discarded them" on 4 December, 2015, they could not conclusively state that he had "handled, worn or had direct contact with the gloves or had contact with the area (on the wall)."
In cross examination, Ms Short agreed it was possible the defendant's DNA could have been transferred on to the gloves without him having worn them.
But she agreed with prosecutor Denis Barry who suggested it would be unlucky for the defendant to have his DNA transferred to and found at the scene, if he had never been there or committed the crime.
The court heard from a police officer who said he initially thought a man who broke in to the home of singer Rita Ora was pictured on CCTV from Mr Cowell's address.
Two other officers said they had been able to identify Mr February from images captured at the scene.
The trial continues. | DNA of a man accused of stealing £1m worth of jewellery from Simon Cowell's house was found on a glove at the music mogul's home, a court has heard. |
Media playback is not supported on this device
The Dons took the lead when Jonny Hayes' corner landed at the near post, with Caley Thistle's Gary Warren deflecting in Ash Taylor's shot.
Greg Tansey headed wide for the visitors, while Hayes, Kenny McLean and Niall McGinn all missed for the Dons.
Miles Storey should have made it 2-0 but somehow got the ball caught under his feet on the goal line.
The result moves Aberdeen 13 points clear of third-placed Rangers, with the two sides set to meet on Sunday at Pittodrie.
Aberdeen may have been unable to mount a serious title challenge this season, but they are still on course for a record points tally after surpassing the run of home wins set by Sir Alex Ferguson's side in 1986.
They now need 12 points from the last seven matches to do that, but an overall run of 12 victories in their last 14 Premiership matches suggests they are up to the task.
Aberdeen impressed with their pace, intensity and variety of movement going forward in the first half, but the defence remains equally effective as they have now gone 531 minutes without conceding a goal.
Of course this was another painful night for Caley Thistle manager Richie Foran in what has been a steep learning curve for the Dubliner in his first season in the job.
No team in British senior football have won fewer league matches than the Highlanders this season and, while they are not yet entirely cut adrift at the bottom, time is fast running out to turn things around.
The sight of five former Caley Thistle players in such an impressive Dons squad was compounded by the knowledge that current top league marksman Greg Tansey is moving to Pittodrie in the summer.
The midfielder is desperate to leave with the club still in the Premiership, but he missed one of their best chances of the evening when he headed a Henri Anier cross over the bar from six yards in the first half.
The real disappointment for Foran, though, will be that the goal they conceded was a gift for Aberdeen.
It was poor marking by the Caley Thistle defence as Dons pair Taylor and Andrew Considine contested a Hayes corner, the ball eventually deflected in by captain Warren off Taylor's strike.
Despite a battling performance, Caley Thistle simply could not find a way back into the match.
They did have a late let off, though, when former Inverness player Storey had an incredible miss when he failed to convert from point-blank range after a Hayes shot came off the post.
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes: "We didn't have the same rhythm or flow to our game as we normally have, but there were a number of factors for that as we had the game in our pocket but didn't know whether to stick or twist.
"We are delighted to get the 10th home win on the bounce for the first time since that great Aberdeen side in 1986 with so many top players and a top manager in Sir Alex Ferguson.
"That keeps the distance between us and Rangers and we just look forward to playing them here on Sunday now but we have a lot of hard games left."
Inverness CT manager Richie Foran: "We had chances to go one up but we didn't take them then we give a goal from a set-piece which was really disappointing.
"We work hard on defending those so it was a sloppy goal to give away and Aberdeen looked more confident than we did.
"We are not going to be judged on games against Aberdeen though. We have seven must win games left and I believe we can still get enough points to get out of trouble."
Match ends, Aberdeen 1, Inverness CT 0.
Second Half ends, Aberdeen 1, Inverness CT 0.
Attempt blocked. Billy McKay (Inverness CT) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Alex Fisher.
Hand ball by Greg Tansey (Inverness CT).
Substitution, Inverness CT. Alex Fisher replaces Kevin McNaughton.
Corner, Inverness CT. Conceded by Andrew Considine.
Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Gary Warren.
Attempt blocked. Ash Taylor (Aberdeen) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Aberdeen. Ryan Christie replaces Niall McGinn.
Substitution, Aberdeen. Miles Storey replaces Adam Rooney.
Attempt missed. Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Niall McGinn (Aberdeen) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by David Raven (Inverness CT).
Attempt missed. Niall McGinn (Aberdeen) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Attempt blocked. Liam Polworth (Inverness CT) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Larnell Cole (Inverness CT) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Owain Fon Williams.
Attempt saved. Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner.
Corner, Inverness CT. Conceded by Andrew Considine.
Substitution, Inverness CT. Dean Ebbe replaces Henri Anier.
Shaleum Logan (Aberdeen) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Carl Tremarco (Inverness CT) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Carl Tremarco (Inverness CT).
Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Kevin McNaughton.
Attempt blocked. Ryan Jack (Aberdeen) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Inverness CT. Larnell Cole replaces Ross Draper.
Foul by Andrew Considine (Aberdeen).
Greg Tansey (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Gary Warren.
Jonny Hayes (Aberdeen) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Kevin McNaughton (Inverness CT).
Attempt missed. Niall McGinn (Aberdeen) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ross Draper (Inverness CT).
Corner, Inverness CT. Conceded by Joe Lewis.
Attempt saved. Liam Polworth (Inverness CT) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Jonny Hayes (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Ross Draper (Inverness CT).
Attempt blocked. Kenny McLean (Aberdeen) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. | Aberdeen made it 10 home league wins in a row with a slim victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle. |
They were found wounded at a property in Elmshurst Crescent, East Finchley at about 06:25 BST.
The Metropolitan Police named the two victims - said to have moved to the UK from Congo in central Africa - as Anny Ekofo, 52, and her nephew Bervil Ekofo, 21.
Mr Ekofo's mother said she had lost her "life" and her "best friend".
Maymie Botamba said: "He was my life, they have taken my life away. He was my best friend.
"He was so lovely and kind to everyone, always surrounded by girls. He had never been in trouble before, he had never been in a fight in his life."
The Met's homicide and major crime command unit is investigating.
Mrs Ekofo's cousin, Fifi Selo, said the family was in shock and "cannot explain what happened".
"They were an amazing family. Anny was the kind of person who was a mum to everybody. She always brought everybody together."
Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Local resident Lizzy Holsgrove said: "About 20 police cars and four or five paramedic cars, and three ambulances sped past my window.
"They cordoned off the street very quickly and police were sprinting from the top of the road where they'd stopped.
"There had been screaming before the police arrived." | Two people shot dead at a north London flat have been named locally as a mother of nine and her nephew. |
Typhoon Phanfone has killed at least one person, a US airman on Okinawa who was washed away by high waves.
Thousands of households have lost power and Japan's two largest airlines have suspended many flights.
The storm also forced the suspension of the search for people missing after last week's volcanic eruption.
The storm-tracking website Tropical Storm Risk forecasts that Phanfone will rapidly lose power over the next few hours as it goes further into the Pacific Ocean.
Typhoon Phanfone was downgraded from an earlier status of a super typhoon, but the Japan Meteorological Agency had warned it was still a dangerous storm.
Japan averages 11 typhoons a year, according to its weather agency.
The typhoon made landfall on Monday morning near the central city of Hamamatsu, with winds of up to 180 km/h (112 mph).
The airman was one of three US military personnel swept away by high waves whipped up by the typhoon off southern Okinawa island, where the US has a large military base. The remaining two are still missing.
A police spokesman said they had been taking photographs of the sea.
A university student who was surfing off the seas of Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, was also missing, national broadcast NHK reports. It said at least 10 people had been injured and 9,500 houses were without power.
The storm was expected to deposit about 100mm of rain on Tokyo over 24 hours, according to the Transport Ministry website.
Many schools were closed on Monday and two car companies in Japan halted production at some plants ahead of the storm.
More than 174 domestic flights were affected nationwide, NHK state broadcaster said on Sunday.
On Sunday, heavy rain delayed the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix in Suzaka. French driver Jules Bianchi lost control in the wet conditions and crashed, sustaining a severe head injury. | A powerful typhoon has brought many parts of Japan to a standstill and briefly battered Tokyo before heading out to sea. |
He was brought in to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary by an offshore rescue helicopter from BG Group's North Everest platform, 145 miles east of Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Coastguard, which co-ordinated the operation, said it was alerted at 11:30 on Sunday.
There are no further details on his condition. | An oil worker has been airlifted to hospital after becoming ill on a North Sea oil platform. |
And not just the ecstasy of Salford Red Devils' 19-18 golden-point win in the Million Pound Game, but also the despair of beaten opponents Hull KR.
If anything, it was reaction of the Hull KR players and their families that made the biggest impression on Kopczak.
"To see the wives and the families of the opposition crying and upset wasn't nice," he told BBC Wales Sport.
"It's not a nice position to be in and I wouldn't recommend it.
"You couldn't really celebrate and it was more a case of job done and get out of there."
And that after securing the most important win in the history of the club, who had been within minutes of losing their Super League status.
For the defeated Robins, it meant relegation and an uncertain future for the club's players, with contracts under threat.
With so much at stake in one end-of-the season match, the Million Pound Game has been criticised since its introduction in 2015.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Hull KR's Ben Cockayne described the concept as "a disgrace" and said it hurt the Rugby Football League's efforts to promote good mental health.
Salford looked destined for relegation as the highly charged game at the Lightstream Stadium drew to a close.
They trailed 18-10 with two minutes left but Niall Evalds' try and Greg Johnson's score with the last play of normal time levelled the scores.
Gareth O'Brien's drop-goal in golden-point extra time secured victory to save his side from the drop to the Championship.
"At one stage I thought it was all over, but credit to the boys they dug deep and found a way to win," added Kopczak, who was among the Salford replacements.
"It's not good for the players but it is what it is. You've got to do it and someone's got to go down.
"Hopefully next season I'm not in that situation again. We've got a great bunch of lads and we shouldn't really have been in that situation."
With Salford's Super League status secured, Kopczak's focus is now on another challenge - captaining Wales' attempt to reach the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
Wales, who won the European Championship in 2015, have qualifiers against Serbia at Llanelli's Stebonheath Park on Saturday and away to Italy on 29 October.
"We've got two tough games and it's going to be interesting," Kopczak said.
"But the boys are really up for it and we want to build on the success of last year."
John Kear's side will face Serbia and Italy without Wigan's Ben Flower and Rhys Evans of Warrington Wolves, who are unavailable after playing in the Grand Final.
Tyson Frizell, capped five times by Wales, is also unavailable having been included in Australia's squad for the Four Nations.
But Kopczak says his own Super League experience, as well as that of Salford team mate Phil Joseph and Widnes pair Gil Dudson and Lloyd White, will help Wales.
"It's for us to lead from the front and get ourselves in a great position to start with and kick on from there," Kopczak said.
"We'll focus on ourselves, get the job done right and aim for the World Cup." | Craig Kopczak leads Wales into their World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Italy this month with the extraordinary drama of his club's Super League survival fresh in his memory. |
Allen scored his first international goal on his 32nd appearance in Wales' 4-0 win over Moldova in their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier.
The 26-year-old joined Stoke City from Liverpool for £13m in July after only starting eight league games in 2015-16.
"I think it had come to the point where I needed to move on," Allen said.
"Personally, it was pretty obvious.
"Any player will tell you regular football makes tonnes of difference to the way you perform and the way you feel out on the football pitch.
"It comes to a certain stage in your career where if it's not happening then you have to go and seek it out.
"Hopefully I will get much more game time now and I think that is going to be really important for me in my international career as well."
The Wales international joined Liverpool from Swansea City for £15m in the summer of 2012. He had a year left on his contract at Anfield but joined Stoke after starring for Wales at Euro 2016.
Allen has been impressed by the calibre of players fellow Welshman Mark Hughes' has assembled at Stoke City.
Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony signed on a season-long loan on transfer deadline day and joins a squad which includes Xherdan Shaqiri, Bojan Krkic and Marko Arnautovic.
"It's pretty obvious that my type of play would not have suited Stoke years ago," Allen added
"But the likes of Shaqiri, Arnautovic, Bojan, (Ibrahim) Afellay and (Giannelli) Imbula, players they have brought in - and others that were already there (Glenn) Whelan, Jonathan (Walters) and (Peter) Crouch - the list went on and on.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"It made it really appealing to me, and was one of the big reasons why I signed there.
"You have seen they have finished ninth three years running and they are not happy to settle for that. Now everyone is talking about the impact Bony will have at Stoke, and the boys who played with him at Swansea talk very highly of him.
"So I'm looking forward to getting back up there now and playing alongside him."
Stoke City, bottom of the table after two defeats and a draw in their opening three games of the Premier League season, host Tottenham on Saturday.
Chris Coleman's side are top of Group D after their opening win - and play away in Austria away and at home to Georgia in October.
"There was pressure on us to get off to a winning start and get those three points which was important for us," added Allen. "But to do it with four goals and in relative comfort in the end is just what we wanted.
"On a personal note to get the goal was a nice bonus as well.
"In the last few years at Liverpool I have played more as a holding player.
"But I feel there are a few types of positions and roles I can do.
"It's a good string to my bow to be able to do different things for the team." | Wales midfielder Joe Allen says he feels "refreshed and positive" following his summer move from Liverpool to Stoke City. |
And, on a drive between the Republican Convention in Cleveland, Ohio and the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, I gained an insight into another factor adding to the unpredictability - the growing numbers of Americans who are switching, or thinking of switching, party allegiances. In some cases, they are changing the voting habits of a lifetime.
The first switcher was just a few blocks from the Republican convention location. Tim - who didn't want to give his last name - is a lawyer who works in Cleveland's Key Tower, the tallest building between Chicago and Philadelphia. A lifelong Republican, he believes that Mr Trump is not just telling tall stories, but dangerous ones.
"I am very concerned about any leader who appeals to the worst instincts of human nature. That's very dangerous for the country and I love my country more than I love my party."
So will he vote for Hillary Clinton? "I may. I haven't quite got there, but I definitely won't vote for Donald Trump. Anyone who knows me knows how ridiculous that sounds, that I would even think of voting for her."
I heard a very different view in the run-down town of Warren, 50 miles east of Cleveland. At the 422 restaurant, the only place to eat on what local people say was once a bustling strip, I met a group of disillusioned Democrats. They used to work at the town's steel mill, which is now nothing more than a fenced-off patch of wasteland.
As jobs, opportunities and hopes have disappeared, so too has the loyalty they felt - or were encouraged to feel by the unions - towards the Democratic Party. During the 35 years that Joe Shrodek worked in the mill's blast furnace, he always voted for Democratic presidential candidates. But not this time.
"When I was there I voted Democrat the whole time, the unions endorsed [the candidate]. All that's gone now. I just want change, that's all. They need to clean house in Washington."
So, is Mr Trump the man to do that?
"I don't know," he says, "but I'm voting for him."
Watching Joe and his friends mop up the restaurant's roasted hot pepper dip with slices of white bread, local Republican Party chairman Randy Law predicts that Mr Trump will soak up the votes of many other white working class voters like them.
"I see it every day. People calling me, emailing me. There is this anti-Hillary feeling. People seeing it as a third term for Obama. People are fed up with a lot of those policies that have hurt big business, small business and trade and people are tired of being politically correct."
Crossing the state line into Pennsylvania, another swing state, where polls suggest a tight contest, I encountered a different type of switcher. Judie Radel, who owns the Yee Haw farm in Duncannon, has always voted Democrat. She was a Bernie Sanders supporter in the primaries. Patting her "girls" - the milk cows she tends on the 160 acres she farms - she says that she's leaning Republican.
"I don't trust Hillary. We've had eight years of a Hillary administration and I think we need change."
She says that she enjoyed Mr Trump's speech at the Republican convention. "I like that it was a doom and gloom speech that didn't sugar coat what's going down in our country. Our country's in dire straits right now. We need to wake up."
She expresses some misgivings about a Trump finger on the nuclear button, but doesn't think it disqualifies him from the White House.
An hour south-east of Yee Haw farm, in Pennsylvania's more affluent Lancaster County, Ann Womble is rather more concerned. She has been an active Republican Party member for 30 years and was a delegate to the 2012 convention in Tampa.
But the Trump takeover has led her to take a big decision - she's just cancelled her party membership. She dismisses comparisons between the reality TV star, Donald Trump, and the Hollywood actor, Ronald Reagan, who first attracted her to the party.
"Reagan's candidacy was a sunny, happy conservative insurgency into the Republican Party, because it was optimistic. Now, we're in the opposite place. Trump is attracting people to his candidacy for dark, gloomy and dangerous reasons.
"His view is of an autocratic, almost Third World leader. If he were actually president of the United States and tweeting these things that he tweets all hours of the day, saying these things to camera, it could be apocalyptic."
But, despite that assessment, Ann can't bring herself to vote for the Republican Party's bogeywoman, Mrs Clinton, in November. Although she'll support Republican candidates for Congress, she may not vote in the presidential election at all.
And that represents one of the challenges for the Democratic Party.
While disillusioned Democrats are embracing Mr Trump, disillusioned Republicans find it much harder to support his opponent. Mrs Clinton's convention may project a positive vision of America. But to really succeed it needs to address and counter the negative impression that many Americans have of her. | Donald Trump's nomination as the US Republican Party's presidential candidate has been a huge shock to the American political establishment, confounding the forecasts and questioning the models for predicting the outcome of November's election. |
Mr Kenneth had denied banging on a door at his Dundee home in December during a row with his girlfriend Reagan Kelbie.
Ms Kelbie told Dundee Sheriff Court during a brief trial that she had not been in a state of "fear or alarm" when Mr Kenneth was at her door.
Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC found Mr Kenneth not guilty of the charge.
The 29-year-old was fined £300 at a previous court hearing after admitting driving away without insurance after the row last December. | Former Scotland and Dundee United footballer Garry Kenneth has been cleared of a charge of threatening and abusive behaviour. |
Students and staff at the INTO language skills centre in the Haymarket area had to leave the building on Tuesday night.
A bomb disposal team performed a controlled explosion on the Town Moor in the early hours.
An 18-year-old man was arrested in London. The university said the campus was now open as normal.
No-one was reported injured and police said there was no danger to the public.
A spokesman for Newcastle University said: "The INTO building is now open for staff and students following last night's evacuation and we are working closely with Northumbria Police with their on-going inquiries."
Roads in the area reopened before 01:00 BST.
A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: "Residents around Newcastle Town Moor may have heard a slight bang and I would like to reassure them this is in connection with the incident at the University and was planned.
"Inquiries are in the early stages and we are working closely with Newcastle University.
"There is currently no cause for concern for students and the wider community."
Newcastle University caters for more than 22,000 UK and international students and has 1,200 academic staff.
The INTO Centre offers facilities for more than 700 mainly international students and is spread over four floors. | Newcastle University has reopened after a controlled explosion was carried out on suspicious items that prompted buildings to be evacuated. |
Police arrested Reuben Stretton, 20, of no fixed address, on Friday and charged him with the murder of 20-year-old Isaac Williams.
Mr Williams, who was found injured in Cropthorne Avenue, Evington, on 21 April, died in hospital on Monday.
A second man, Devan Garner, 19, of Octon Close, Hamilton, Leicester, has also been charged with his murder.
Charlotte Ford, 22, also of Octon Close, Hamilton, was charged with perverting the course of justice.
Mr Williams has been described by friends and family as a "quiet, polite lad".
Former coach Jon Whike said: "He was easy to coach, always smiling, with a big grin on his face."
A tribute on the Railwaymen's Boxing Club's Facebook page said: "Rest in peace Isaac a polite talented young man - our thoughts are with family and friends." | A second man has been charged with murder after the stabbing of a young former boxer in Leicester. |
The figures for the Walmart-owned supermarket, filed at Companies House, confirm a torrid spell for Asda as it faced stiff competition in the grocery sector.
Like-for-like sales were down 5.7% compared with the previous year.
Pre-tax profits dropped almost 19% to £791.7m at the Leeds-based company.
"The grocery market has continued to experience low growth throughout the year and competition in the sector has remained intense. Our sales performance, relative to the market, was behind our expectations," the company said.
Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons - the so-called big four UK supermarkets - also face competition from German discounters Aldi and Lidl.
Asda suffered more than most and, unlike others, has struggled to fight back. In May, it reported decreasing sales in the first quarter of 2017 - the 11th consecutive quarter of falls - as it continued to lose ground to its rivals.
However, Asda added that despite the disappointing results, there had been an improvement following "strategic changes" under new boss Sean Clarke.
Mr Clarke, who replaced previous chief executive Andy Clarke a year ago, has slashed the prices of everyday items as he attempts to arrest falling sales.
The chain reported a 2.8% fall in like-for-like sales in its first quarter of this year, a moderate improvement on the previous period, which saw sales fall 2.9%.
Analysts have said that a major turnaround is required at Asda.
"Sainsbury's and Tesco have always had more opportunity for differentiation from the discounters, but Asda has chosen to focus on price rather than range and in-store experience, which has clearly been the wrong strategy," said Tom Berry, retail analyst at GlobalData.
"Asda has been flailing without direction for too long, and a comprehensive plan is needed if it is to survive in the highly competitive UK grocery market."
Phil Dorrell, of consultancy Retail Remedy, is a previous marketing chief at Asda. He said that it was a difficult market for Asda and it "had a lot of catching up to do".
"It is not changing significantly or fast enough to pull around the results. It did not get its proposition right," he said. | Sales falls and lower profits at supermarket Asda in 2016 have been revealed in detail in newly-filed accounts. |
Five guards are also missing and are believed to have aided the mass prison breakout in Nuevo Laredo town.
Mexican police say the majority of those on the run are drug traffickers and members of armed gangs.
The prison system is struggling to cope with an influx of offenders arrested in a campaign against drugs cartels.
Correspondents say prison breakouts are not uncommon in northern Mexico, where more than 400 inmates have escaped since January 2010.
Nuevo Laredo, in Tamaulipas state, lies just across the border from Laredo, Texas.
The largest jail break so far was last December when more than 140 prisoners escaped from the same prison.
According to a statement from the Tamaulipas state government, the riot began on Friday morning in Nuevo Laredo's Sanctions Enforcement Centre, which houses an estimated 1,200 prisoners.
After the breakout, soldiers surrounded the jail and calm was restored, the authorities said.
The northern border region is the scene of rising lawlessness as the cartels fight the security forces and each other for control of smuggling routes into the US.
The main battle in Tamaulipas is between the Zetas and the Gulf cartels, the AFP news agency reports.
Their capacity for violence and ability to pay huge bribes gives them considerable power to subvert the prison system and get their people out.
President Felipe Calderon came to power in 2006 promising a war on drugs.
More than 35,000 people have died in drug violence since he began his campaign, which has involved launching an army assault on drug gangs. | Seven prisoners have been killed and 59 others have escaped after a riot at a jail in northern Mexico near the US border, officials say. |
The play, written by Jack Thorne, is set 19 years after the seventh and final book in the series by JK Rowling.
It opens officially at the Palace Theatre, in London's West End, on Saturday.
Audiences have been urged to "keep the secrets" since the play began previews in early June.
Presented in two parts, the play - showing the stars of the wizarding saga as adults in their mid-30s as their own children head off to school - stretches over five hours.
Daily Telegraph critic Dominic Cavendish awarded the play five stars, writing: "British theatre hasn't known anything like it for decades and I haven't seen anything directly comparable in all my reviewing days."
He said "those involved can give themselves a pat on the back", adding: "It's a triumph. Not an unqualified one - there are some quibbles - but in all key respects, it grips, it stirs, it delights."
Cavendish praises the "thrill-a-minute" stage craft which sees pupils heading to Hogwarts, at the start of the play, change into school uniforms "in the blink of an eye" as they head to the infamous Platform 9¾ to make their way to school.
The Stage also gives a five-star review, with Mark Shenton describing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - co-devised by Rowling, with director John Tiffany and playwright Jack Thorne - as a "truly game-changing production and a thrilling theatrical endeavour".
It is an "entirely original" piece of work, with "Dickensian sweep and momentum to the storytelling", writes Shenton, adding: "It earns its place on the stage, feeling distinct from both the books and the screen adaptations.
"By turns playful and gripping, disturbing and detailed, poignant and powerful, it is superb family entertainment."
Shenton also praises "the theatrical wizards who've created this stunningly-realised alternative universe deliver one coup de theatre after another".
In a nod to the Kings Cross platform number, Ann Treneman gives the play four and three-quarters stars in The Times, saying the "wizardry on display" is "out of this world".
She says the plot is complex ("there are mazes that are more straightforward") but adds: "It's a raunchless Game of Thrones with heart. Crucially, it's authentic Potter but, most importantly, it's new.
"It's not the movie of the book. It's the real deal, live in front of you, so much better than any film could be."
In The Guardian, Michael Billington noted the Cursed Child will make more sense to "hardened Potterheads", but applauded Tiffany for directing a "thrilling theatrical spectacle", giving it four stars.
He praised the strong performances that meant acting was central to the story, despite the dazzling special effects, singling out Sam Clemmett as Harry's son Albus, "wonderfully quirky" Anthony Boyle as his friend Scorpius Malfoy, and the adult Harry (Jamie Parker), "authoritative" Hermione (Noma Dumezweni) and "bluntly commonsensical" Ron (Paul Thornley).
It's another five stars from The Independent, with Jack Shepherd describing it as "magical". He argues Part One should be billed as a magic show, due to the effects used, also praising its moments of comedy.
Shepherd adds: "It's quite apparent this isn't written to be either a book or a tie-in film; it's a spectacle for the theatre, one that is filled to the brim with fan service and magical imagery that will amaze."
Quentin Letts grumbles about the length of the play in the Daily Mail, noting: "There were moments I could have done with a glug of gurdyroot infusion to keep me alert."
But he admits: "Potter addicts will love it. JK Rowling is going to make (another) fortune. The West End's ornate Palace Theatre, itself a little like Hogwarts, has a hit probably for years."
Variety describes it as "spellbinding", Matt Trueman writing that it is: "The Show That Lived Up to Expectations — and Then Some."
He says the relationship between Albus and Scorpius is "the friendship of two bullied boys bound together, and it's a beautiful, tender thing", adding: "The script by Jack Thorne recognizes that rejection breeds resentment, and outsiders stew into outcasts.
"No one's born a villain, nor sees themselves as such, and where the books gave us stock baddies, Cursed Child fleshes them out."
Chris Jones, in the Chicago Tribune, says that "heretical as this may sound", the play left him "quietly lamenting that the movies were ever made".
Ben Brantley in the New York Times writes: "Like the novels that preceded it, The Cursed Child is stuffed with arcana-filled plots that defy diagrams and baldly wrought sentimental life lessons, along with anguished dives into the earnest, tortured solipsism of adolescence.
"By rights, such a combination should try the patience of any grown-up. But like Ms Rowling's books, the play vanquishes resistance."
The Harry Potter books have sold more than 450 million copies since 1997 and been adapted into eight films.
The script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is published this weekend.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email [email protected]. | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has won five-star reviews from critics, with one describing it as "a game-changing production". |
There were celebrations in Europe after Germany surrendered.
But on the other side of the world in the Pacific Ocean, Japan was still fighting against America, Britain and their allies.
The Americans, however, had a secret plan to end the war - by using the most powerful weapon ever created.
On 6 August 1945, at 8.15am Japanese time, an American B-29 bomber plane, called 'Enola Gay', dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
The devastation was beyond anything seen before. The city was immediately flattened.
80,000 people were killed as a direct result of the blast, and another 35,000 were injured.
Even then, Japan didn't surrender.
Three days later, another nuclear bomb was dropped by the Americans on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.
Shortly afterwards, on 15 August 1945, Japan finally admitted defeat.
World War Two was over.
When the bomb exploded in Hiroshima, the city has struck by a flash of blinding light then a giant cloud shaped like a mushroom.
The blast flattened buildings within a 2.5 km radius of the bomb.
There were 90,000 buildings in Hiroshima before the bomb was dropped but only 28,000 remained after the explosion.
Thousands and thousands of people were killed. Many were badly injured.
But the suffering didn't end there because it wasn't just a normal bomb.
The nuclear radiation released when it exploded caused people to suffer horrible illnesses.
Thousands more people died from their injuries and radiation sickness in the weeks, months and years that followed.
Japan was at war with America and its allies, which included Britain and Soviet Union (a nation made up of modern-day Russia and other countries).
The allies were winning the war and the Japanese forces had been pushed back from many locations.
However fighting was still very fierce and soldiers and civilians were dying every day.
Japan had been at war for many years.
It had invaded the countries near to it such as China and the Japanese had attacked America.
Everywhere the Japanese soldiers went, they were known for their cruelty.
They treated prisoners of war very badly, including American and British soldiers who had surrendered.
US President Harry S Truman wanted the Japanese to surrender as quickly as possible so he could save lives.
The atomic bomb was a deadly new weapon.
President Truman hoped the massive destruction it caused would shock the Japanese into realising they had to surrender.
US President Truman wanted to avoid a land invasion of Japan.
There were 2.5 million Japanese troops stationed there and Truman's staff estimated that defeating them would cost the lives of 250,000 US soldiers.
Some historians also say that the US wanted to avoid Japan being occupied by Soviet troops.
America and the Soviet Union were allies but they did not really trust each other.
It was the first and only time that atomic bombs have been used in a war.
Although the scientists who made the bombs were proud of what they'd achieved, it scared them as well.
The way the atomic bomb was built meant it had huge power - enough to destroy whole cities on it's own.
Many people now believe that the devastation caused in Hiroshima, and in Nagasaki, was so awful that the bombs should never be used again.
Today, a small number of countries around the world, including USA, China and the UK, have nuclear weapons.
Some campaigners argue that there is no place for nuclear weapons and that all countries should get rid of them immediately.
Others say that having such terrible weapons will keep a country safe, even if they are never used. | In 1945, World War Two - the biggest war the world had ever seen - was coming to an end. |
Alistair Fitt, vice chancellor of Oxford Brookes, was giving evidence to the Education Select Committee, holding a special away-day session at the University of Oxford.
With the elegant panorama of Pembroke College behind them, the MPs wanted to find out what would be the impact of Brexit on the UK's university sector.
You would be hard-pressed to find any sector in the country more opposed to Brexit than higher education.
So it was probably no surprise that the MPs heard an unrelenting message that leaving the EU was a grim prospect for higher education and research.
University organisations, which usually put much effort and ingenuity into not really being for or against anything in public, took to open campaigning for a Remain vote.
Universities, bastions of liberal thinking, intensely international in their outlook and staffing, seemed culturally allergic to Brexit.
And the referendum result hangs over them like they've fought and lost a civil war.
Professor Catherine Barnard from the University of Cambridge told MPs that her own university had seen a 14% drop in applications this year from EU students.
The university had asked why potential students had turned down a chance to study at Cambridge - and she said among the reasons were fears over an "anti-immigrant sentiment" and uncertainty over the future of the UK's involvement in international research.
Prof Barnard warned that talented mathematicians at Cambridge from countries such as Hungary, Poland and Romania would take their sought-after skills elsewhere.
The committee of MPs heard warnings that in some elite research institutions in the UK, vital to the national infrastructure, as many as two thirds of the staff were EU nationals from outside the UK.
Would they hang around and see if they were still wanted after Brexit? Or would research rivals in Germany or China snap them up to the detriment of the UK economy?
Showing how seriously they take this, Oxford University has appointed its own head of Brexit strategy.
So you could say that at least Brexit has already created one extra job.
But this new postholder, Professor Alistair Buchan, saw leaving the EU as threatening to relegate the UK's universities behind their global competition.
Oxford has been ranked as the world's top university, but Prof Buchan said that in 1970s the UK's universities did not have that top status. This had been built through the EU years and growing networks of international partnerships.
He described Brexit for universities as the "Manchester United problem".
Why would any football team with international ambitions deliberately want to restrict its access both to better talent and to bigger markets?
There were warnings about the financial impact of losing European research funding.
The UK's universities are among the biggest winners from Horizon 2020 research network, bringing more than £2bn into the higher education sector.
This is no small-bière, with some individual universities worrying about the loss of hundreds of millions.
If the UK is to stay ahead in research, Dr Anne Corbett of the LSE said the UK government had to be ready for some "serious funding".
Professor Stephanie Haywood, president of the Engineering Professors' Council, warned that losing access to EU students would make skills shortages in engineering even worse.
But could there be an upside in higher tuition fees?
If EU students are designated as overseas students after Brexit, UK universities could charge them much higher fees.
But such a tuition fee windfall depends on those students not staying at home or going somewhere else.
Prof Barnard raised the example of those talented eastern European mathematicians.
Would they really be able to pay £17,000 or so a year? Or would it mean that universities in the UK would have pay for scholarships rather than see them go elsewhere?
Committee chairman Neil Carmichael pushed his witnesses for more evidence and facts.
But what came back most often was even more questions. What's going to happen to the EU staff in UK universities? What will be the visa system for students?
What will happen to the intricate networks of European research? How much will the UK government be willing to cover for any lost income?
And of course, so far, these are unknowns being piled up on unknowables.
But as another European refugee scientist, Albert Einstein, once said: "If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research." | A "hard Brexit" would be the "biggest disaster" to have hit the UK's universities for many years, a university head told MPs. |
Six men and two women were killed when the minibus they were in collided with two lorries near Milton Keynes.
Ryszard Masierak, 31, and David Wagstaff, 53, have been charged with eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
The first victim has been identified as minibus owner Cyriac Joseph, 52.
Wipro, an IT services company, said three of its employees were also among those who died, and a fourth staff member had been critically injured.
"It is with deep regret and sadness that we confirm the passing away of three of our colleagues, Karthikeyan Ramasubramaniyam Pugalur, Rishi Rajeev Kumar, and Vivek Bhaskaran in a tragic road accident in the UK," a spokesman for the firm said.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those who lost their lives in this tragedy."
It is understood the men were all contracted to work in Nottingham.
A service was held in memory of Mr Joseph on Sunday at St Paul's Church, Lenton, Nottingham.
Father Biju Joseph, who conducted the Mass, confirmed Mr Joseph's wife and children, a 19-year-old man and girl aged 15, who attended the service, were told of his death by police on Saturday morning.
He said the prayer service was a "great relief" for them.
"It's so sad and we're praying to God for his soul and his family," he said. "People are really shocked, he was such a good friend. He was like a brother to me."
Alex Daniel, a friend, said Mr Joseph was a "great leader" within the south Indian community in Nottingham.
He said: "I'm not surprised by the amount of people who came here [to the service]. We got calls from across the country showing concerns for the family."
A five-year-old girl, a man and a woman were left with life-threatening injuries in the crash, and are still critically ill in hospital. Another woman has serious injuries.
Thames Valley Police said the vehicles were all travelling in the same direction southbound between junctions 15 and 14 at Newport Pagnell at about 03:15 BST on Saturday.
Some of those on board the minibus, which carried branding for the Nottingham-based firm ABC Travels, were visiting the UK from India, police said.
Friends of Mr Joseph, who was also known as Benny and originally came from the Indian state of Kerala, paid tribute on social media.
"My dearest friend Benny passed away this morning after a huge road accident happened in M1 in London," said Soyimon Joseph in a Facebook post.
"Hearty condolences. I never thought yesterday 10pm you say thank you to me it was our last meeting."
Another Facebook tribute read: "Words cannot describe how helpful you are. You are there when we need you. You are my big brother.
"My deepest and sincere condolences to my best friend Cyriac Joseph (Benny)," wrote Manu Zachariah.
Thames Valley Police said the two men charged in connection with the crash also each faced four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Mr Masierak, of Barnards Close, Evesham, Worcestershire, was additionally charged with eight counts of causing death by careless driving while over the drink-drive limit.
He will appear at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Monday.
Mr Wagstaff, of Derwent Street, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, is due before Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court on 11 September.
Pictures of the vehicles showed significant damage to the two lorries, which appeared to belong to courier firm FedEx and AIM Logistics.
Spokesmen for the two companies expressed sympathies to those who lost loved ones in the crash, and said the companies were assisting police with their inquiries.
Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning | Two lorry drivers have been charged over a crash on the M1 on Saturday which left eight people dead and four with serious injuries. |
The UK is holding its breath, waiting for the results in the coming weeks of the long-delayed Chilcot enquiry into those events.
It is also agonising over whether to join the Americans and others in extending its bombing campaign from Iraq to Syria against the militants of the self-styled Islamic State (IS), whose rise is widely seen as a consequence of the 2003 invasion and the ensuing upheavals.
Since the outset of the Syrian crisis in 2011, the Americans and their Western partners have been mesmerised by the chaos in Iraq as an object lesson for how not to deal with Syria.
That is the overriding reason why they have long tiptoed around the prospect of embroilment in the Syrian affair.
US President Barack Obama was elected specifically on a platform of ending such foreign adventures, not getting caught in yet another one.
It was only with extreme reluctance that he found himself drawn into the air campaigns against IS in both Iraq and Syria, with limited and cautious engagement of advisers and special forces on the ground.
It was all very different back in 2002 and 2003, when the neo-conservatives then in the ascendant in Washington were looking for any pretext to move against Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein, as part of a broader ambition to shape a "new Middle East".
Ahmed Chalabi, who had left Iraq in 1956, at that time headed the umbrella opposition grouping in exile called the Iraqi National Council (INC).
Viscerally dedicated to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, Chalabi found himself point man for an opposition effort to persuade the Americans to invade and rid the country of the feared dictator, having despaired of other methods such as trying to engineer an internal coup.
He found himself knocking on an open door.
If he knowingly misled Washington with dodgy intelligence on Saddam's non-existent weapons of mass destruction and links with international terrorism, he knew that powerful American circles were willingly taking the bait without scrutiny as they prepared for their war of choice.
They were using him, and he was using them.
With the Chilcot conclusions looming, Tony Blair, who led the UK into the Iraq war alongside the Americans, came out recently in a CNN interview with a qualified apology for the fact that the intelligence on which the invasion was based was false and that insufficient thought had been given to what should happen next.
But Chalabi entertained no such misgivings. In conversations late last year, he was still exultant at his own role in triggering the invasion which unseated Saddam Hussein. For him, that was the overarching goal that justified any possible means.
But it was not just the removal of the dictator that plunged Iraq into the chaos which has continued to shake and fragment the country ever since.
In the months that followed, every political and security structure holding the country together was dismantled, including the all-pervasive Baath Party (a process in which Ahmed Chalabi played a role), the army and the intelligence services.
Thousands of highly experienced officers and officials from Saddam Hussein's minority Sunni community were sent home with a burning grudge, setting the scene for the subsequent Sunni-based insurgency, sectarian fragmentation and blood-letting, and the eventual emergence of IS.
IS began in Iraq and later spread to Syria, where it could exploit the chaos and vacuums caused by the civil war to entrench and grow, eventually erupting back into Iraq with the storming of Mosul last year.
Now it is firmly entrenched in both countries, and the prospects for pulling both of them back together as unitary states are daunting, given the degree of fragmentation in both.
That is the spectre haunting the West, as it ponders how to deal with a crisis that has sent millions of refugees into neighbouring countries, and hundreds of thousands flooding into Europe.
Doing nothing may increasingly not be an option. But the fate of Iraq since 2003 underscores the potentially disastrous dangers of ill-conceived meddling. | The unexpected death of Ahmed Chalabi has highlighted the burning issues still haunting the UK and the West, long after the key role he played in manipulating the US-led invasion and overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003. |
Jamaica's quartet clocked 36.84 seconds, smashing the old mark by two-tenths of a second and leaving the United States with silver.
Nesta Carter and Michael Frater produced excellent first and second legs but it was 100m and 200m silver medallist Yohan Blake's blistering third leg that set the platform.
Bolt provided the perfect finale - exploding away to leave Ryan Bailey trailing as the capacity crowd stood to acclaim him.
Canada were initially given bronze before being disqualified when third-leg runner Jared Connaughton stepped outside of his lane, meaning Trinidad and Tobago were promoted to third place.
After winning the and in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, plus the 4x100m relay, the latest gold means Bolt now has six Olympic golds before his 26th birthday.
"It was electric. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric and it was all because of this race. The big difference was when Blake received the baton he tore around the bend - and he was up against Tyson Gay! Usain Bolt was watching that clock all the way down the home straight."
It was a fitting way to conclude a wonderful nine days of athletics in the Olympic Stadium.
Bolt said London 2012 had been "amazing" and on the race added: "It's a wonderful feeling to end on a high note. It was a great championships, I'm happy, the team came out and gave it their all, I wish we could have gone faster but we leave room for improvement."
He said he did not know if he would be aiming for a third treble gold haul in Rio 2016: "It's going to be hard. Yohan is running hard and I'm sure there's going to be more young cats coming up."
Usain Bolt celebrated with a "Mobot" as he crossed the line, paying tribute to Britain's 5,000m and 10,000m double Olympic champion, Mo Farah. | Usain Bolt won his third gold medal of the 2012 Olympics as he anchored Jamaica's sprint relay team to a sensational world record. |
"It would be a fundamental forward step for Wales," said South and Mid Wales Chambers of Commerce president Liz Maher.
Meanwhile, a business confidence plan and a £5m jobs and growth fund have been announced by First Minister Carwyn Jones, as a response to Brexit.
He hosted an extraordinary meeting of the Council for Economic Renewal.
It brought together business leaders, the TUC and senior politicians to discuss the impact of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.
It was set-up in response to the financial crisis and meets around three times a year.
This was thought to be its first extraordinary meeting.
Prime Minister Theresa May has already met with Mr Jones and says Wales and the other devolved nations will have a role to play in negotiations.
The first minister said the Welsh Government wanted to assure businesses and inward investors that Wales remains open for business.
"The EU referendum result has created uncertainty and instability which can damage business confidence and have a longer-term impact on jobs and investment," he said.
Mr Jones is allocating £5m to the new Growth and Prosperity Fund to ensure the economy continued to grow and Wales continued to be an attractive destination for investment.
"These actions will support Welsh businesses looking to grow and increase the number and scale of Welsh-based companies that are exporting," he said.
"We will also be engaging with businesses about how we can support them and promoting Wales with potential inward investors."
Ms Maher said EU funding and the labour skills gap, which would influence future immigration policy, were some of the issues which needed answering in Wales.
"There's such a long way to go but there are opportunities there," said Ms Maher.
She said as well as stability for the economy there needed to be action and the taskforce would bring together the "huge amount of experience" and specialist knowledge from business.
The business confidence plan - outlined by Economy and Infrastructure Secretary Ken Skates - includes discussing what support Finance Wales could bring and also bringing forward a plan for export support.
The Welsh Government is also planning an all-age apprenticeship programme and a campaign to support tourist businesses.
Details on how to apply to the Growth and Prosperity Fund will be available shortly.
The leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies called for a "spirit of conciliation".
He said: "Today's calls for a taskforce to deal with Brexit are sensible, but the first minister needs to reach out to people from both sides of the referendum campaign.
"Brexit presents Wales with significant opportunities and poses questions that could be best answered by a diverse range of voices - not just a chorus of politicians who opposed leaving the EU." | Business leaders in Wales have called for a taskforce to deal with the implications of the referendum result. |
The poll of 1,650 Britons by YouGov found 56% would quit the competition.
And it found those who backed Leave in the EU referendum were most likely to want to drop out, with 76% to 21% in favour of quitting. Remain voters were 65% to 35% in favour of competing.
The UK first entered Eurovision in the second year of the contest in 1957 and has won five times - the last in 1997.
That victory for Katrina and the Waves with Love, Shine a Light, followed wins by Sandie Shaw (Puppet on a String, 1967), Lulu (Boom Bang-a-Bang, 1969), Brotherhood of Man (Save Your Kisses for Me, 1976) and Bucks Fizz (Making Your Mind Up, 1981).
However, since 1997 the UK has finished last three times - in 2003, 2008 and 2010 - and has failed to make it into the top 10 for the past seven years.
This year's contest will take place in Kiev on Saturday, following Jamala's win for Ukraine last year singing 1944.
The UK will be represented by former X Factor contestant Lucie Jones, who will sing her ballad Never Give Up On You, but according to YouGov only a fifth of Britons (22%) are intending to watch the show.
Of those planning to watch, 26% of people said their reason for watching was the "amusing commentary", which will again be provided by Graham Norton, 19% are planning to make fun of the show and just 9% say they tune in because they like the music. | The UK would make its mind up to leave the Eurovision Song Contest if there were a referendum, a survey suggests. |
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Americans will leave RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire.
The move is part of a programme to save £320m ($500m) a year across Europe. The USAF lease the RAF bases.
Mr Hagel said he understood it would mean job losses and thanked those who had supported the US Air Force.
"I know that this will result in a reduction of our local host nations workforces at some locations; I value the tremendous support they provided us for decades."
The USAF KC-135 tanker fleet based at Mildenhall will be moved to Germany.
RAF Lakenheath, with two squadrons of new F-35 jets (48 of them) arriving by 2020, will be the aircraft's only European base.
The Pentagon said the loss of about 2,000 US military and civilian personnel is due to relocation away from Mildenhall, but will be offset by the addition of about 1,200 people stationed permanently at Lakenheath.
Matthew Hancock, West Suffolk MP and Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Energy, said he would support the community affected.
Mildenhall had a long and proud history of strong relations with the United States Air Force and the move "will come as a shock to many", he said.
"I have met with the defence secretary, and others in government to ensure we can work, together with the American administration, to support the community.
"We will create a Mildenhall, Alconbury and Molesworth (MAM) Working Group, which I will chair, inviting local LEPs [local enterprise partnerships], councils, the Ministry of Defence and US representatives to ensure no stone is left unturned in supporting Mildenhall and the surrounding area."
A UK Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The US Department of Defence (DoD) has been reviewing its requirement for bases across Europe as part of (its) European infrastructure consolidation review."
RAF Mildenhall is used as a transport hub by the USAF and is home to air refuelling tankers and special operations forces.
It has about 3,200 military personnel, with 400-500 UK civilian staff employed there.
Both bases are in the Forest Heath District Council area.
James Waters, leader of the council, said: "The USAF contributes significantly to the local economy so the expansion of RAF Lakenheath, and with it the US government's commitment to the site as part of its long term plans, is very welcome.
"But this happiness is obviously tempered by our sadness that Mildenhall is to close.
"Both announcements mean huge changes to the landscape of Forest Heath , but I am optimistic that with every change there are opportunities for reinvention, growth and investment."
For some years now the US military has been reviewing its bases in Europe, eager to reduce its footprint to rationalise and cut costs.
In part it is due to budget constraints but it is also driven by strategic changes as the Pentagon turns its gaze increasingly towards the Asia-Pacific.
RAF Mildenhall has been an important base for the Americans since the early 1950s when it was home to strategic bombers.
Currently it houses US Air Force Special Forces and a fleet of air-to-air tankers.
The latter, though less glamorous than fast jets, are some of the most important elements of the USAF, described by one analyst as the "kryptonite" of modern air power.
They enable combat and support aircraft to reach their targets and to remain over combat zones for the time needed to carry out their missions.
It is likely that the KC-135 tankers from Mildenhall will move to a US base in Germany.
British defence sources are eager to stress that the base closures here - two US-run communications stations at RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire are also to shut down - do not represent any dilution of Washington's commitment to European security.
Indeed RAF Lakenheath is due to host two squadrons of new F-35 aircraft when they enter service.
Over recent months the Americans have deployed small but significant reinforcements to Europe to reassure NATO allies like Poland and the Baltic republics in the wake of Russia's actions against Ukraine.
The US had hundreds of tanks in Europe during Cold War but there was a brief moment after 2013 when all US tanks had been withdrawn from Europe.
Today about a battalion's worth are back in Europe exercising with allies.
But the Pentagon has plans to store an armoured brigade's worth of equipment - some 150 tanks along with other armoured vehicles - in Europe by 2015.
RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth are used as USAF communications bases, rather than for flying, and their operations were expected to move to RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.
The USAF has about 750 military personnel at the two Cambridgeshire bases, with a further 1,500 civilian employees and dependents.
Jason Ablewhite, leader of Huntingdonshire District Council, said the news was "hugely disappointing" as both bases contributed about £40m a year to the local economy.
He said it would mean the loss of 760 personnel and 1,500 civilian jobs, adding: "The impact on the local economy could be considerable.
"However, the Enterprise Zone is on the same site as RAF Alconbury, and will provide thousands of jobs over the coming years." | The United States Air Force (USAF) has confirmed it will pull out of three UK airbases. |
Ms Borst, 81, helped push through legislation in 2001 that made the Netherlands the first country to legalise euthanasia.
Forensic scientists were unable to say why she died. Police have said it was either an accident or a crime.
Ms Borst, who was a medical academic, served as minister from 1994-2002.
Her body was found on Monday evening and the area around her home near the central city of Utrecht was cordoned off.
Initial inquiries proved inconclusive, however police on Tuesday ruled out death by natural causes.
A full post mortem examination will now take place at the Netherlands Forensic Institute, they say.
"She may have had an accident after she felt unwell, but that cannot yet be said with certainty," a police spokesman told Dutch media. "So we cannot yet say whether any crime may have been involved."
A spokesman had earlier told Dutch radio there were no indications of anything untoward happening.
Els Borst had appeared at a conference of her liberal D66 party on Saturday and her death came as a shock to political colleagues in The Hague.
For a time, she led her party in the 1990s and Prime Minister Mark Rutte said her death was a great loss for Dutch politics.
"She ensured a breakthrough in the field of euthanasia for which very many people are still grateful," said Health Minister Edith Schippers.
She was also behind legislation governing the use of tissue from aborted foetuses for medical research. | Dutch authorities have begun an investigation into the death of former health minister Els Borst, whose body was found in her garage by a friend. |
Antony Ricketts, 20, was also ordered to pay costs of £186.31 after being convicted in his absence in Carmarthen.
He was also found guilty of putting non-recyclable waste out in blue bags in Barnsfield Terrace.
"Bags of rubbish left littering the streets for days on end will not be tolerated," said Councillor Jim Jones, environment executive member.
Ricketts must also pay a victim surcharge of £20 after the conviction under the Environmental Protection Act.
Ricketts was warned by council officers, but problems continued and they found evidence linking him to black bags and contaminated blue recycling bags on several occasions.
Two people from Llanelli have already been fined £100 after Carmarthenshire Council announced it was getting tough with householders who put out waste on the wrong day.
Mr Jones added: "If a resident continually ignores the council's advice we have no choice but to issue a fine or prosecute them in court.
"I hope residents take notice of this case and act responsibly to reduce the amount of rubbish littering our streets." | A man who continually put his rubbish out on the wrong day has been fined £200 by magistrates. |
Redcar's RNLI lifeboat was called to East Scar rocks in Saltburn on Saturday when three teenagers became stranded.
A spokesman said it was the latest in a spate of incidents in the area, with 18 people rescued so far this year.
Redcar and Cleveland Council has now said it will put additional signage on the beach, warning of the danger. | Lifeboat volunteers on Teesside have warned people not to get caught out by the incoming tide after yet another rescue. |
Mr Bannon, formerly the head of the populist right-wing, Breitbart News website, will join high-level discussions about national security.
The order was signed on Saturday.
The director of national intelligence and the joint chiefs will attend when discussions pertain to their areas.
Under previous administrations, the director and joint chiefs attended all meetings of the NSC's inner circle, the principals' committee.
The National Security Council (NSC) is the main group advising the president on national security and foreign affairs.
It is led by retired lieutenant-general Mike Flynn, who was one of Mr Trump's closest advisers and most ardent supporters during the campaign.
"The security threats facing the United States in the 21st century transcend international boundaries," Mr Trump's executive order said.
"Accordingly, the United States Government's decision-making structures and processes to address these challenges must remain equally adaptive and transformative."
Last week, Mr Bannon described the US mainstream media as "the opposition party", saying it should "keep its mouth shut".
The site he once managed, Breitbart News, serves up an anti-establishment agenda that critics accuse of xenophobia and misogyny. Under Mr Bannon, it became one of the most-read conservative news and opinion sites in the US.
Mr Trump also ordered a restructuring of the Homeland Security Council.
In two separate measures, the president ordered: | President Donald Trump is reshuffling the US National Security Council (NSC), downgrading the military chiefs of staff and giving a regular seat to his chief strategist Steve Bannon. |
Jean Jeanie, an eight-year-old Dexter cow, was "adopted" by Derbyshire woman Trisha Boyko who "fell in love" with her after walking past her field.
But struggling to meet costs, Ms Boyko raised ??3,500 online and called her "the people's cow".
Now Cornish accountant Martin Sands, who saw the news story, has agreed to pay ??65 a month for ongoing keep.
Mr Sands said it was "not a normal thing" for him to sponsor a cow as he did not have a particular interest in animals.
But he said Jean Jeanie was "a really beautiful cow" and he was overwhelmed by her story.
"Some of her sponsors had promised income for 12 months and then dropped out, so I promised to fund her for 12 months - probably longer."
The cow was spotted alone in a field by Ms Boyko who, after hearing she might be destined for market, purchased the animal.
The 52-year-old made a Facebook page for Jean, short for the cow's registered name of Mooridge Jeanie, which attracted donations.
"She lit my days up and I'd like to think I cheered her up. She's got a lovely character, she's really gentle, she's lovely.
"She is the people's cow," she added.
Ms Boyko said on her Facebook page that Jeanie and her Cornish sponsor got along well: "I am pleased to say he was most impressed to meet the beautiful Jean and she was on her best behaviour."
She added the cow was "so much better than this time last year - what a difference a year makes". | The future of a cow saved by a crowd-funding campaign has been secured after a sponsor agreed to fund its keep. |
Government-nominated team
Chief negotiator Irfan Siddiqui is the special assistant to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on national affairs. A renowned journalist and columnist for the top-selling Urdu newspaper Daily Jang, Mr Siddiqui is well-known for his conservative views and is a strong critic of the US-led war in Afghanistan. On a number of occasions he has voiced support for the Taliban insurgency against US forces in Afghanistan.
Rahimullah Yusufzai is a political and security analyst and an expert on the Taliban, Afghanistan and Pakistan's north-west tribal region. Based in the city of Peshawar close to the Afghan border, he has been has been covering the Afghan conflict since the Soviet invasion in 1979 and interviewed Osama Bin Laden and the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar. He is the editor of The News daily in Peshawar, and has also been a correspondent for Time magazine and the BBC.
Rustam Shah Mohmand used to be Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan and is a senior member of the Tehrik-i-Insaaf party led by former cricketer Imran Khan. Mr Mohmand is a specialist on Afghan affairs and a renowned security analyst. He was Pakistan's chief commissioner for refugees for about 10 years.
Major Mohammad Amir is a former official of the ISI intelligence service who once gave training and logistics to the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Maj Shah belongs to a religious family. His father founded a seminary which preaches the hardline Deobandi and Wahhabi strain of Sunni Islam. The Pakistan Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah received his religious education at the school.
Taliban-nominated team
Maulana Sami ul-Haq, dubbed the "father of the Taliban" by the media, is an influential Pakistani cleric and politician whose teaching are thought to have influenced the Taliban movement. Maulana Haq is the director of one of the biggest Pakistani madrassas, Darul Uloom Haqqania, which has been seen as the incubator for radical fighters during the early 1990s. Maulana Haq once described the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar as one of his best students and an "angel-like human being". He leads a faction of the Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam (Party of Islamic clergy) and was twice elected to Pakistan's senate.
Cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz is a staunch advocate of enforcing Sharia (Islamic law) in Pakistan. He was the prayer leader of the controversial Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad, which was the site of a military siege in 2007 during former President Pervez Musharraf's rule. Maulana Aziz was captured during the operation when he tried to flee the mosque disguised in a burka. He was released in 2009 after 21 months in detention. He has issued numerous edicts declaring music, films and photographs of women to be moral evils.
Ibrahim Khan is a former senator from the tribal region of Bannu. He is the head of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial chapter of the Islamist political party Jamaat-i-Islami, which is a vocal supporter of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The party recently caused controversy when it called the Pakistan Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike, a martyr.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | The men charting the "roadmap" for peace talks are well-known figures in Pakistani politics, media and religious life. |
The CIES Football Observatory has drawn up a list of the players with most league appearances by year of birth.
It says 19-year-old Alli's 98 games for Spurs and MK Dons are the most for a player born in 1996 or later.
The list is dominated by Premier League players ahead of their rivals in Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
England international Alli has made one more appearance than Barcelona's Croatia Under-21 international Alen Halolovic, 19, who is on loan at Sporting Gijon. Third on the list is Villarreal's Spain U21 international winger Matias Nahuel, 19.
Among players born in 1985 or later, only one player has more games under his belt than Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney - Bournemouth defender Simon Francis with 460 games.
Everton's Romelu Lukaku, 22, tops the list for players born after 1993, having played 210 games so far for the Toffees, Anderlecht, Chelsea and West Brom.
Of players born after 1991, Chelsea's Eden Hazard has played 277 games, just ahead of Liverpool's Nathaniel Clyne.
Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink has urged doctors at the Football Association and Premier League clubs to put pressure on the game's authorities to reduce the number of fixtures played by clubs in English competitions.
Chelsea face four games in the next 12 days across three competitions, and Hiddink says the players need more protection.
But former Chelsea doctor Ralph Rogers told BBC Radio 5 live on Monday that was unrealistic.
"I appreciate his concern but it's all market-driven. People want football," he said. | Tottenham's Dele Alli has played more domestic league games than any other player aged 20 or under in Europe's 'big five' leagues. |
The 23-year-old former Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford trainee made 23 appearances for the National League side last season.
Lacey has also had a stint with Altrincham but now has the chance to play his first Football League match.
"It's a big chance for me and I need to grab it with both hands," he told the club website.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | League Two side Accrington Stanley have signed midfielder Paddy Lacey on a one-year deal after his release by Barrow. |
The woman, 24, stopped breathing during a procedure at a clinic in Bangkok on Thursday, an official said.
A doctor, Sompob Sansiri, has been charged with recklessly causing the woman's death and bailed, police said.
The Foreign Office said it had been informed of the death and was "ready to provide consular assistance".
The patient, who has not been named, was having minor corrective surgery to her back after a previous operation, officers said.
The director general of Thailand's health service support department, Boonruang Triruangworawat, said attempts had been made to revive the woman when she stopped breathing.
She was under anaesthesia when she died, Thai police said.
The Thai Ministry of Health said it would file a charge of operating an unlicensed clinic because the facility was not licensed to operate at night.
The SP Clinic has been shut down for 60 days while the death is investigated. | A British woman understood to have gone to Thailand for cosmetic surgery has died during an operation, Thai officials have said. |
Rebels fired rocket launchers on an army post in Hakkari province just after midnight, NTV in Turkey said.
Military jets are pursuing them and bombing their escape routes, NTV said.
The interior minister says at least 115 rebels have been killed in a large-scale military offensive in the area in the last two weeks.
Idris Naim Sahin said the offensive close to Semdinli town - also in Hakkari province - was ongoing and that troops were taking steps to prevent rebels fleeing into northern Iraq.
The offensive is one of the biggest in years, with NTV reporting that about 2,000 troops are involved.
Several thousand Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels are believed to be based in hideouts in northern Iraq.
According to the governor for Hakkari province, Orhan Alimoglu, six soldiers, two village guards and 11 Kurdish rebels were killed in the attack near the village of Gecimili.
He said 15 soldiers were injured in the incident.
The number of clashes between the PKK and the Turkish armed forces has risen in south-east Turkey over the past year.
A series of clashes in June left dozens dead.
The PKK is classified as a terrorist organisation by the EU and the US.
It launched a guerrilla campaign in 1984 for an ethnic homeland in the Kurdish heartland in the south-east of Turkey.
It has now dropped its claim to an independent Kurdish state, but says it is fighting for autonomy and the cultural rights of the Kurdish people. | At least 19 people have died in south-east Turkey after Kurdish rebels launched an attack on a Turkish border post, according to local media. |
Mr Adams, who joined the company from Singapore-based Tiger Airways in 2013, said that for personal reasons it was the right time to go.
He will remain in the post until April. Loganair has started the process of finding his successor.
Chairman David Harrison said: "Stewart has been an extremely hardworking chief executive and he has provided strong leadership."
The Scottish airline flies under Flybe livery and operates 31 routes across the Highlands and Islands as well as other parts of the UK. | Loganair's chief executive Stewart Adams is stepping down. |
His was not the only voice warning of the dangers of AI - Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak also expressed their concerns about where the technology was heading - though Professor Hawking's was the most apocalyptic vision of a world where robots decide they don't need us any more.
What all of these prophets of AI doom wanted to do was to get the world thinking about where the science was heading - and make sure other voices joined the scientists in that debate.
That they have achieved that aim was evident on Wednesday night at an event in Cambridge marking the opening of the Centre for the Future of Intelligence, designed to do some of that thinking about the implications of AI.
And Professor Hawking was there to help launch the centre. "I'm glad someone was listening," he told the audience.
In a short speech, he outlined the potential and the pitfalls of the technology in his usual vivid language. He reviewed the recent rapid progress in areas like self-driving cars and the triumph of Google's DeepMind in the game of Go - and predicted further advances.
"I believe there is no deep difference between what can be achieved by a biological brain and what can be achieved by a computer. It therefore follows that computers can, in theory, emulate human intelligence — and exceed it."
That, he said, could lead to the eradication of disease and poverty and the conquest of climate change. But it could also bring us all sorts of things we didn't like - autonomous weapons, economic disruption and machines that developed a will of their own, in conflict with humanity.
"In short, the rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which."
So, an easy enough mission for the Centre for the Study of Intelligence - just find out whether AI is going to kill us or not.
Actually the multi-disciplinary centre, which brings together philosophers, psychologists, lawyers and computer scientists, will have a rather more practical programme of research.
Long before the robots decide whether we are surplus to requirements, we are for instance going to need to think about issues such as whether autonomous vehicles should be programmed to protect pedestrians or passengers.
Another speaker at the event was Professor Maggie Boden, a major figure in artificial intelligence research for more than 50 years.
She told me she had long seen the need for the debate we are having now - but she was not worrying about our imminent extinction and was rather less convinced than Professor Hawking that we were heading into the AI future at breakneck speed.
Her concern was about the impact of automation right now - in Japan at least - on elderly people. She pointed to the enthusiasm for the use of robots in the care of the elderly and sick and said society would have to ask whether this was dehumanising. "I'm scared of that," she said.
After decades of research into AI, Professor Boden still does not see robots replacing humans in functions which require empathy and emotional intelligence. Artificial intelligence could soon offer governments the chance to cut growing bills for social care - but at a cost for those in need of help.
Just one of the issues which will now be addressed by the Centre for the Future of Intelligence - and rather more urgent than the threat from some future Terminator.
Read more of the BBC's AI coverage here. | Two years ago Stephen Hawking told the BBC that the development of full artificial intelligence, could spell the end of the human race. |
PC David Rathband was blinded by Moat in Newcastle on 4 July, 2010 and took his own life in February 2012.
His twin brother Darren said the family were "still fighting for acknowledgement that David was let down" by Northumbria Police.
The force said the family's legal case against it would go to court in 2016.
Family members claim Northumbria Police did not do enough to warn staff that Moat had told a 999 call handler he was hunting for officers on the night of the shooting. The force denies this.
Traffic officer PC Rathband was finishing his shift in a marked patrol car when he was shot twice by a shotgun fired by Moat.
He survived but lost his sight in both eyes.
Moat had shot Samantha Stobbart, who survived, and Chris Brown, who died, in Birtley, Gateshead, the previous day hours after his release from prison.
Following a week on the run, the former nightclub bouncer turned the gun on himself during a stand-off with police in Rothbury on 10 July.
After he was shot, PC Rathband founded the Blue Lamp Foundation to help injured 999 workers, wrote a book about his experiences and became a national figure.
However, he struggled to cope with the consequences of losing his sight and the father-of-two, 44, killed himself at his home in Blyth, Northumberland.
His brother, who lives in Australia, said of the 4 July anniversary of the shooting: "As a family we obviously reflect on past events that had such a tragic outcome for David.
"It means we understand more than most the risks the emergency services, especially police, are asked to face on a daily basis."
He said the dangers faced by officers from acts of terror was "very pertinent" following attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait.
"Sadly, David will not be the last police officer injured in the line of duty; three officers have been shot and numerous have been hurt in the UK since 2010," he said.
He said 4 July was a important date for the family, but that the "significant anniversary" was the date of PC Rathband's death when they lost a "very special man". | The family of the police officer shot by gunman Raoul Moat say they are still waiting for justice five years after the attack. |
The attack happened at a house on Phibsboro Road at about 22:30 local time on Saturday night.
The man was taken to the Mater Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
A woman in her 40s was arrested in connection with the incident. | A woman has been arrested after a 36-year-old man died following a stabbing in Phibsboro in Dublin. |
The search giant has launched a series of legal actions against the London-based firm in California, claiming four of its patents have been violated, and has also filed a separate case in the UK.
BT had been expecting such action after it launched its own case against Google in 2011.
That dispute has yet to be resolved.
"We have always seen litigation as a last resort, and we work hard to avoid lawsuits," said a spokeswoman for Google.
"But BT has brought several meritless patent claims against Google and our customers - and they've also been arming patent trolls."
The term "patent troll" describes firms that acquire patents so that they can later extract settlements from companies on infringement claims.
In 2012, New Jersey-based intellectual property owner Suffolk Technologies sued Google and US internet service provider AOL over two patents it had acquired from BT.
In addition, Steelhead Licensing - another firm which owns patents but does not produce products of its own - has filed a case against 14 handset makers and mobile networks, including Google's Motorola unit, claiming infringement of a wireless technology which used to be owned by BT.
A spokesman for the British firm said it did not comment on pending litigation.
Google has struck back with claims that BT has infringed a method to allow PCs to use an internet-based telephone system based on a patent originally filed by Fujitsu.
And it says BT failed to license a system used to let computer servers prioritise data - an IBM invention now owned by the search firm.
Patent consultant Florian Mueller said this was the first clear case of Google suing another company over its patents.
Previous cases involving Motorola were filed ahead of Google buying the Razr handset maker.
BT and Google are next set to meet in court in Delaware in July for a mediation hearing about the 2011 case. | Google is suing BT, claiming the British telecoms group has infringed a number of its technologies. |
Buffon, making his 620th appearance in the league, denied Diego Farias after referee Fabio Maresca used VAR to award the spot-kick for an Alex Sandro foul.
Juventus were already leading at that point through Mario Mandzukic's volley.
Paulo Dybala swept in a second for the hosts before Gonzalo Higuain struck.
Juventus are looking to record a seventh straight Serie A title this season.
Match ends, Juventus 3, Cagliari 0.
Second Half ends, Juventus 3, Cagliari 0.
Attempt missed. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Foul by Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus).
João Pedro (Cagliari) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Blaise Matuidi.
Foul by Mario Mandzukic (Juventus).
Marco Andreolli (Cagliari) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Blaise Matuidi.
Corner, Juventus. Conceded by Marco Andreolli.
Attempt blocked. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Douglas Costa.
Hand ball by Nicolò Barella (Cagliari).
Attempt blocked. Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Douglas Costa.
Substitution, Cagliari. Daniele Dessena replaces Luca Cigarini.
Substitution, Cagliari. Marco Sau replaces Duje Cop.
Corner, Juventus. Conceded by Paolo Faragò.
Foul by Miralem Pjanic (Juventus).
João Pedro (Cagliari) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Artur Ionita (Cagliari).
Foul by Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus).
Artur Ionita (Cagliari) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus).
Artur Ionita (Cagliari) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Juventus. Douglas Costa replaces Juan Cuadrado.
Substitution, Juventus. Blaise Matuidi replaces Gonzalo Higuaín.
Corner, Juventus. Conceded by Alessio Cragno.
Attempt saved. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Juan Cuadrado.
Goal! Juventus 3, Cagliari 0. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Alex Sandro.
Offside, Juventus. Juan Cuadrado tries a through ball, but Stephan Lichtsteiner is caught offside.
Attempt blocked. Artur Ionita (Cagliari) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Cagliari. João Pedro replaces Simone Padoin.
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus).
Diego Farias (Cagliari) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Juventus. Sami Khedira replaces Claudio Marchisio.
Attempt missed. Paolo Faragò (Cagliari) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left.
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus).
Diego Farias (Cagliari) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus). | Gianluigi Buffon saved the first penalty awarded by video assistant referee (VAR) in Serie A as Juventus began their title defence with a comfortable win against Cagliari. |
The hosts led 21-0 after 22 minutes, with Matt Smith, Lachlan McCaffrey and Owen Williams all touching down.
Tries from Teimana Harrison, George North and Jamie Gibson wrestled Saints back into it, before Burns and Stephen Myler traded kicks to make it 27-27.
But Tigers, boosted by the return of Manu Tuilagi, stole it at the death.
England centre Tuilagi, who ended speculation linking him with a move away from Leicester by signing a new contract last month, had not played since October 2014 because of an ongoing groin problem.
But the 24-year-old came on for the final 29 minutes against Northampton, demonstrating his trademark physicality as Leicester eventually broke their resistance with the final kick of the game.
Richard Cockerill's side, comfortably beaten by Saracens last week, had looked to be cruising to victory when tries from Smith, McCaffrey and Williams, who was later taken off with a suspected broken jaw, put them in command after a dominant opening quarter.
But Harrison's score following a line-out catch-and-drive moments before half-time gave Saints hope, and North ran from deep inside his own half to drag them to within four points early in the second period.
Shortly after Northampton had a further try through Paul Hill ruled out for a high tackle, two Burns penalties stretched Leicester's lead back to 10 points - only for Gibson's touchdown against his former club and Myler's penalty with five minutes to go to leave the scores tied.
However, Burns, who had already missed one drop-goal attempt, split the posts from the tee to send Tigers up to fourth in the table, seven points above their fifth-placed local rivals.
Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill:
"Credit to them for getting back into it, but credit to our players for the first 30 minutes and then for digging themselves out of a hole they probably shouldn't have got themselves into.
"Good sides win when they do some average things, and we did some average things today but we found a way to win, however fortuitous that may or may not have been."
Northampton Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder:
"My reaction is clearly one of disappointment. I spoke to Courtney Lawes afterwards, and he said he tripped (in the incident that led to the last-minute penalty being awarded).
"In the first half, we had a terrible 20 minutes - they were good, but we were terrible for 20 minutes - and you should not go 21-0 down at Welford Road."
Leicester Tigers: Veainu; Betham, Tait, Smith, Thompstone; Williams, B Youngs; Ayerza, T Youngs (capt), Cole, De Chaves, Kitchener, Fitzgerald, O'Connor, McCaffrey.
Replacements: Thacker, Mulipola, Balmain, Pearce, Croft, Harrison, Burns, Tuilagi.
Northampton Saints: Foden; Elliott, North, Burrell, Collins; Hanrahan, Dickson (capt); Waller, Haywood, Hill, Lawes, Matfield, Gibson, Harrison, Dickinson.
Replacements: Williams, Waller, Denman, Day, Wood, Kessell, Myler, Mallinder.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | Freddie Burns' last-gasp penalty secured victory for Leicester over East Midlands rivals Northampton in dire conditions at Welford Road. |
A two-year-old boy also suffered serious head injuries in the crash in Birmingham.
The driver of a black Vauxhall Astra ran from the scene in Eastfield Road, Bordesley Green, after crashing with a red Ford Fiesta.
The driver of the Fiesta was eight weeks pregnant. Another child, a four-year-old boy, suffered minor injuries.
More on this and other Birmingham stories
PC John Slater, from West Midland Police's traffic collision investigation unit, said: "Tragically the woman was in the early stages of pregnancy at the time and as a result of the collision suffered a miscarriage.
"I would like to hear form anyone who may have seen the crash to call police on 101.
"I would also ask that the driver does the right thing and makes contact with the police."
Police said the crash happened on Saturday 2 April at 15.25 BST. | A hit-and-run driver is being hunted by police after a crash caused a pregnant woman to suffer a miscarriage. |
Watson, who climbs to a career-high 38th in the world rankings, is the first British woman since Anne Hobbs in 1985 to win a second tour title.
The 22-year-old from Guernsey did not drop a set throughout the week.
She now heads to the Australian Open, where she will play Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova in round one on Tuesday.
Watson won her first WTA title in Osaka two years ago, before her career was interrupted by illness.
She began last year ranked 119th in the world following a bout of glandular fever but has since recovered and begun working with Argentine coach Diego Veronelli.
Victory in Hobart means Watson moved 11 places up the world rankings.
"Thanks to my coach Diego. It's been great working with you," she said afterwards.
"We work really hard but we also have fun."
Brengle, the world number 84, was a surprise finalist having come through qualifying, but the 24-year-old made the early running in the final.
After a rain-interrupted semi-final there was another early shower on Saturday, and Watson then survived a 14-minute opening service game that included six break points.
The service struggles continued in the wind and Watson twice fell a break behind but was able to hit back immediately each time, levelling at 3-3 after a scrappy 44 minutes.
Watson then made the decisive move as she reeled off three games to take the set, and after a steadier start to the second she went ahead again at 4-3.
There was a hint of nerves when she slipped 15-30 behind while serving for the match, but Watson closed out the win and headed to the stands to hug coach Veronelli.
"When I won Osaka in 2012, it was more of a surprise," said Watson. "But here, I feel like I belong.
"I'm obviously very happy. It was tough conditions again today, very windy, and I knew Madison would be tough - we know each other very well on and off the court, and we practise a lot in Florida.
"It really was my toughest match of the week. I was happy I stayed mentally strong and managed to get ahead and hold my nerve at the end." | British number one Heather Watson beat American qualifier Madison Brengle in straight sets to win her second WTA title at the Hobart International. |
More than 7,000 children and adolescents had their mental health referrals rejected last year.
The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) described the figure as "astonishing".
The Scottish government has already said it will commission a review into rejected referrals.
But SAMH said the issue needed to be addressed as quickly as possible because young people were "waiting now to get help and support".
The charity's Jo Anderson said 17,500 people had been turned away from receiving Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) support over the past three years.
She added: "That's an astonishing figure, and we don't know what happens to them after they've been turned away. We don't know whether they received any other support.
"In the last few weeks of the campaign we've been running, we've been inundated with calls from parents who're in that situation and their child has been rejected from receiving a CAMHS service.
"They haven't been signposted anywhere else - that's a very worrying picture."
Caitlin Wyllie-Quinn, 20, a student from Irvine, had a difficult transition to secondary school.
Bullying left her isolated and very down, crying all the time.
She got some initial help from the local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service but after leaving therapy she went downhill rapidly.
Her GP made another referral to CAMHS but this time it was rejected. Caitlin was told that because she was not suicidal or self-harming, her case was not serious enough.
"If the person doing the assessment had asked me if I was suicidal or self-harming I would have answered yes to both those questions, but basically I was refused help because they didn't have the capability to assess me properly," she said.
"I was at a real low point and I felt that getting referred to CAMHS was some sort of light at the end of the tunnel and finally maybe getting some help.
"For that to be stripped away from me made me feel even more worthless and just made things so much worse for me."
The NHS in Scotland provides mental health services for children and young people with a wide range of mental health problems including anxiety, behaviour problems, depression and early onset psychosis.
The Scottish government's mental health strategy commits it to carrying out reviews into school counselling and rejected child and adolescent mental health service referrals.
Its mental health minister, Maureen Watt, said the reviews would happen "soon", and would allow improvements to be made to the system.
Ms Anderson said this was encouraging, but added: "We really urge that to be quick and thorough because there are young people waiting now to get help and support.
"It might be that the CAMHS service isn't appropriate for them, but we simply don't know what the problem is."
Meanwhile, statistics published on Tuesday also showed that a waiting time target for people to receive specialist mental health treatment has again been missed.
The Scottish government has had a target in place since 2014 for 90% of patients to be seen within 18 weeks of referral for mental health support.
But the target has never been met nationally - with the latest figures showing that 83.6% of children and adolescents, and 73.7% of adults, were seen within the required timescale between January and March of this year.
At the end of March, there were 6,932 children and young people across Scotland waiting for help from CAMHS, up from 6,359 at the end of December, according to the NHS statistics.
At the same time, there were 20,952 adults waiting for treatment, compared to 20,195 in December.
Average waiting times varied dramatically across the country, with 10 NHS boards meeting the target for CAMHS treatment but only three health boards meeting it for adult psychological care.
The figures also showed that 74 children and young people starting their treatment had been waiting more than a year to be seen.
NHS Grampian met the waiting time target for just 45.2% of young people, while in NHS Lothian the target was met for 47.8% of youngsters
And in the NHS Forth Valley area, only 40% of adults starting psychological treatment between January and March were seen within 18 weeks, with an average wait of 25 weeks.
A spokesman for the Scottish Children's Services Coalition (SCSC) said research has suggested 10% of children aged between five and 16 have a clinically diagnosable mental health problem.
Pointing to a "clear postcode lottery" when it comes to treatment, he added: "We are deeply concerned about what is happening to the more than a fifth of children and young people not accepted for treatment.
"There is a need for an urgent inquiry to ascertain why these young people are being rejected for treatment and what is happening to them."
Ms Watt, the mental health minster, said the number of health boards which had met the waiting time target for young people had increased from seven to 10 since the end of 2016.
She added: "However, I'm clear that we must continue to reduce waiting times and I will not be satisfied until our target is met sustainably.
"Our recently published 10-year strategy for mental health sets out a range of measures that focus on prevention and early intervention to meet the mental health needs of children and young people, backed by £150m of funding.
"We will also soon commission reviews into school counselling and rejected child and adolescent mental health service referrals, as a foundation for making further improvements." | Mental health campaigners have called for an urgent review into why so many young people in Scotland are being turned down for specialist treatment. |
Kromtech - the Germany-based firm behind MacKeeper - has acknowledged that its customers' names, internet addresses and login credentials were among the data exposed.
However, it said that users' payment details were "never at risk".
The firm believes the details were accessed only by the security expert who alerted it to the problem.
"The privacy and security of our clients' information remains our top priority and from the moment we were aware of the access, we immediately took several proactive steps to identify and correct the issue," it said in a statement.
"We want to offer a special 'thank you' to security researcher Chris Vickery for identifying the security breach attempt so that we could stop it before anyone was harmed."
Mr Vickery told security blogger Brian Krebs that he had discovered 21 gigabytes of MacKeeper user data "after spending a few bored moments searching for database servers" that were not password-protected. He was able to do this by using Shodan, a search engine for internet-connected devices.
Mr Krebs reported that Kromtech initially said that 13 million customers' details had been exposed.
That figure was removed from the firm's statement - a spokesman for Kromtech told the BBC it had included both "active and non-active" users.
MacKeeper is widely promoted on the web - including in prominent adverts on Ookla's Speedtest site - as a way to "clean" and "protect" Macintosh computers in order to help them run faster.
However, critics have claimed that the software can cause computers to slow down and crash, and can be problematic to remove.
"There are no ways that the program itself can harm or de-stabilise the system as described by some sources," the Kromtech spokesman said. | Users of a popular utility designed to "optimise" Apple Mac computers have had their details leaked online. |
Hooper, 34, retired from playing in April after 138 Premiership appearances for Bath, following spells at Saracens and Yorkshire Carnegie.
He had already been confirmed as a member of new director of rugby Todd Blackadder's backroom team.
Rock, 31, was previously Championship Yorkshire Carnegie's academy director. | Former captain Stuart Hooper has been named as Bath performance and player development director, with Andy Rock joining the club as academy manager. |